Local RCMP seem to be wrestling crime to the ground in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, according to statistics provided by Supt. Dave Walsh.
Overall, the number of criminal offences has dropped 13 per cent over the previous year, Walsh told Maple Ridge council Monday.
Furthermore, there’s been a 19-per-cent drop in property crime and 17-per-cent drop in crimes against people.
“I think, in general, we have a pretty safe community,” said Walsh.
Last year, 205 firearms were seized and 32 marijuana grow-operations dismantled. There were also three fatal accidents, while in 2010, nine people lost their lives in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows from motor vehicle fatalities. The new Golden Ears Bridge is also bringing more motorists to west Maple Ridge and allowing “multi-jurisdictional” criminals into the area.
Walsh said two initiatives focusing on crime hot spots and the red serge patrol – where Mounties don traditional garb for downtown summer patrols – have also been successful.
Walsh told council that RCMP remain accountable to the public through the influence of the media, the court system, in-car cameras, regular meetings with council, and from the general public, capturing controversial incidents with cellphone video cameras.
One issue police are facing is the amount of time spent dealing with mental health issues, which last year amounted to 447 incidents. But it’s difficult to the track the issue through normal police reports, said Walsh, adding later that it’s a conservative number.
“We are the ad hoc mental health people,” he told council.
Police also dismantled fewer marijuana grow operations last year (32) compared to 63 the year before.
That’s due to an increase in the number of legal medical marijuana grow operations, Walsh said.
Coun. Judy Dueck was worried about the number of motorists using cellphones while driving.
Walsh said distracted driving is now RCMP traffic services’ top priority, even over impaired driving.
Robberies up in Pitt Meadows
The City of Pitt Meadows saw the number of criminal offences rise by one per cent over the past year.
According Ridge Meadows RCMP stats, Mounties logged a total of 1,673 files in 2011, compared to 1,660 in 2010.
Property crime in the city increased of six per cent, while crimes against people, such as assaults, robberies and kidnappings, decreased 10 per cent.
Sex offences in Pitt Meadows went up by 50 per cent to six in 2011, compared to four in 2010.
Robberies saw the most significant spike when it came to crimes against people, increasing by 67 per cent over the year, to 10 in 2011 from six in 2010.
A rise in break-ins contributed to a spike in property crime, with commercial break-and-enters seeing a 38 per cent increase, to 58 in 2011 from 42 in 2010. Residential break-ins also increased, by 19 per cent to 58 in 2011 from 42 in 2010.
Drug offences saw an overall increase of six per cent that includes drug possession files which saw a 15 per cent spike to 45 in 2011 from 29 in 2010, while drug trafficking dropped by 60 per cent to just two files in 2011, compared to five in 2010.
New laws and more enforcement were credited for keeping impaired drivers off the roads in Pitt Meadows, contributing to a drop of 42 per cent in impaired driving charges to 21 in 2011 from 36 in 2010.
There were no fatal motor vehicle accidents in the city in 2011, after three deaths in 2010.
- with files from Monisha Martins