Overall Crime Drops, but Bike Thefts and Business Break-ins Rise

By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: May 18, 2012

There has been a drop in crime when compared to the last two years, although some crime has persisted or even worsened, according to the latest crime stats released by the RCMP.

Overall, the crime files for Squamish have dropped from 9,291 in 2010 to 8125 in 2011, a reduction of more than a 1,000 files.

For a four month period in 2012, from Jan to May this year, RCMP has worked on 2,363 files.

Although there has been a drop in crime over the past two years, a certain type of  crime has either persisted or even grown worse.

One of them is Business break-ins. When compared to the same period over last year, business break-ins have doubled.

From Jan to May 2011, there were 16 businesses that were broken into.

The same period over this year: 35.

There were a total of 86 business break-ins in 2011.

Thefts, and particularly bike theft, is another major concern for the local police. In 2011 alone, there were 64 cases of bike thefts.

In the first four months of 2012, there have been a total of 17 cases of bicycle thefts.

Last year, about 64 people reported their bikes being stolen.

Bike thefts are an ongoing problem, Sgt. Pollock said, adding that the opportunity and solutions are obvious, even if they are ignored by most victims.

“Lock them up, keep out of sight, and even in your garage have them locked. Take and retain photos, record serial numbers, and engrave conspicuously on several points with BC Drivers licence,” he said.

There has also been a sharp rise in sexual assault cases this year. In the first four months of 2011, there was only one reported case of sexual assault.

In the same four months period this year, the number of cases rose to 11.

The drug Oxycontin has also kept the local RCMP busy over the past one year.

Pollock said resources allotted to police need to increase to keep up with increase in population and increase in visitors, increase in court expectations and drug trends and impact.  

“The predicted developments such as the gondola, Britania Beach development, SQ Waterfront project, etc will have huge implications,” he added.

Here are some other Stats:

Theft from Auto (under $5000)
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 40
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 47
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 167

Theft of Auto (cars, trucks, motorcycles)
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 8
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 13
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 47

Theft Under $5000.
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 69
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 52
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 189

Theft Over $5000.
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 7
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 6
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 16

Theft Shoplifting Specific
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 22
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 17
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 57

Theft – Bicycle Specific
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 17
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 9
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 64

Mischief / Property Damage (under $5000)
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 66
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 70
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 274

Cause Disturbance
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 75
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 111
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 358

Break and Enter – Business
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 35
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 16
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 86

Break and Enter – Residence
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 13
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 22
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 70

Assault: Common or Trespass
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 45
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 51
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 154

Assault – W/Weapon/Causing Bodily Harm
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 6
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 4
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 30

Sexual Assault
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 11
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 1
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 4

Intoxicated in Public Place
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 42
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 51
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 135

Possession of Cannabis – 30 grams & under
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 34
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 41
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 111

Missing Persons
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 27
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 26
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 67

Fraud – Credit/Debit Card
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 1
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 13
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 27

Counterfeit Currency
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 ‐ 4
Jan 1 to May 1 2011 ‐ 5
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 12

Motor Vehicle Incident – No Injuries (Damage Over $1000)
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 71
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 66
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 157

Motor Vehicle Incident – Injuries
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 18
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 18
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 63

Motor Vehicle Incident – Fatal
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 3
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 0
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 2

Prisoners
Jan 1 to May 1 2012 – 91
Jan 1 to May 1 2011‐ 169
Jan 1 to Dec 31 2011‐ 489