Police have recorded more thefts of items over $5,000 this year than last year, which they believe is partially due to inflation increasing the cost of products like tools and bicycles.
There were 17 incidents of theft over $5,000 from January to June, compared to nine occurrences during the same period last year — an 88.9-per-cent year-over-year increase — and nine offences two years ago, according to a report that the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) presented during the recent Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting.
The police service continues to see trends in the data, including more reports about theft over $5,000, said Deputy Chief Rick Johns. However, there may not be more such incidents, but instead, the value of the items is worth more than in the past; police will continue to investigate the differences.
Stolen vehicles are the most common items recorded in the “theft over $5,000” category because they are very rarely worth less than that, he continued. Other highly valued items thieves steal include contractor equipment and gear from job sites.
When asked whether bicycles also fell into that category, Johns replied, “E-scooters (may) — (although) I don’t know what they’re worth — but I know some of the e-bikes and some of the higher-end bicycles can exceed $5,000, especially for those triathletes who ride carbon-fibre bikes.”
Crimes against people
Year-to-date data for crimes against the person for 2023, 2022 and 2021 show:
- Homicide: 0 / 1 / 0
- Attempted murder: 1 / 0 / 2
- Assaults (sexual, common, with weapon/cause bodily harm, aggravated, against police): 200 / 172 / 133
- Robbery: 6 / 6 / 1
- Total: 275 / 241 / 200; a 14.1-per-cent year-over-year increase
The assaults against police concerned board chairwoman Mary Lee Booth.
The data for that category showed there were 13 assaults on cops from January to June, compared to five incidents during the same period last year — a year-over-year increase of 160 per cent — and seven offences two years ago.
“I’m seeing that the assault police officer (category), it’s gone up again. That’s always disturbing to me,” said Booth. “It seems like we’ve talked about that trend the last three meetings. So there continues to be incidents of that and that’s quite disturbing.”
Crimes against property
Year-to-date data for crimes against property for 2023, 2022 and 2021 show:
- Break-ins (business, residence, other): 127 / 144 / 144
- Theft of motor vehicle: 22 / 30 / 33
- Theft over $5,000: 17 / 9 / 9; an 88.9-per-cent year-over-year increase
- Theft under $5,000: 478 / 411 / 288
- Arson: 0 / 6 / 7
- Mischief/property damage: 131 / 191 / 163
- Total: 985 / 1,018 / 847
Other crimes
Year-to-date data for other types of crimes for 2023, 2022 and 2021 show:
- Impaired driving: 46 / 60 / 65
- Disobeying court orders: 170 / 462 / 386
- Threats: 21 / 50 / 23
- Domestic disputes: 27 / 50 / 93
- Provincial liquor infractions: 62 / 68 / 94
- Vehicle collisions over $1,000: 91 / 142 / 97
- Summary offence tickets: 1,005 / 750 / 1,043; a 34-per-cent year-over-year increase
- Calls for service: 9,558 / 9,035 / 7,458
The next police board meeting is Thursday, Aug. 10.
