A quarterly report from North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP shows crime increased in the City of Duncan, with repeat offenders contributing to much of the activity.
The report was presented during Duncan city council’s June 8 meeting, where Staff Sgt. Ken Beard, officer in charge of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment, outlined crime statistics from across the region.
Beard said criminal activity in the city is being driven by several factors, but the largest contributor this quarter was an increase in property crime.
“Typically, these are opportunistic types of offenses,” he said. “These are repeat offenders and not part of an organized retail crime group.”
According to the report, some of the largest increases were in shoplifting, up 443 per cent, fraud, up 325 per cent, and thefts from vehicles, up 175 per cent. Beard said police also recorded an increase in violent incidents.
“The increase in violence is up 58 per cent,” he said. “This is commonly linked to public disorder, substance abuse, mental health and housing instability. Also, mental health calls for service are continuing to increase.”
Photo credit: Supplied
Despite the increase in crime, the report showed the City of Duncan’s prisoner count declined slightly to 47 during the quarter, compared with 48 during the same period last year.
Compared with the same quarter in 2025, Duncan recorded the second-largest increase in calls for service in the region, rising by 311 calls, or 34 per cent. The detachment handled 5,740 calls for service across the region during the reporting period.
Photo credit: Supplied
North Cowichan recorded the highest number of calls for service with 2,993, followed by Cowichan Tribes with 861.
