Criminal activity across the Cowichan Valley has been shifting in recent months, according to the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP’s latest quarterly report.
Photo credit: RCMP quarterly report
Staff Sergeant Ken Beard told council that overall calls for service have declined compared with last year, a positive sign, though some problem areas remain.
“For this quarter compared to this time last year, the trend is actually pretty nice,” Beard said. “It’s trending downwards in general when compared to this time last year. Repeat offenders are ending up in custody, but we’re still having some issues down the corridor.”
While the overall picture was encouraging, the report noted higher crime totals in certain communities. Cowichan Tribes recorded the largest increases between July and September, particularly in property-related offences such as fraud, shoplifting and theft.
Photo credit: RCMP quarterly report.
North Cowichan, meanwhile, saw modest declines in most categories. Police did note small jumps in harassment, residential break-and-enters and fraud investigations.
The City of Duncan continues to grapple with shoplifting and theft from vehicles. Both categories roughly doubled from last year, though Beard said the total number of cases remains low.
“Even though it shows that we’re 17 files compared to eight last year, it’s still low overall,” he said.
Crimes against persons dropped 12 per cent across the region, and the number of people held in custody was also down. The detachment reported 241 individuals held during the third quarter, compared with 361 during the same period last year.
Beard said officers in Duncan have handled 31 calls for service since January, about one-fifth of the year’s total to date, and that downward trends seen locally are consistent with provincial patterns.
