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Theft from business increasing

Crime stats for the first part of 2014 show an increase in break and enters, robberies and assaults in Williams Lake.

Crime stats for the first part of 2014 show an increase in break and enters, robberies and assaults in Williams Lake compared to the same period last year,  RCMP Staff Sgt. Ken Brissard told city council recently as he presented the detachment’s calls for service between Jan. 1 and May 31.

The highest increase was in break and enters to businesses, which were up 200 per cent.

“We had 15 in 2014 compared to four in 2013,” Brissard said. “It’s still 15 too many, we’re not making any excuses, but we keep preaching to you that it’s a small segment of society that disrupts it for everybody.”

The majority of the break and enters are committed by five or six people who are currently back in jail, he said.

“How long that will last? We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

There were 26 thefts of vehicles in 2014 and 33 in 2013, and 26 thefts from vehicles in 2014 compared to 35 thefts from vehicles in 2014.

There were also less reports of mischief and false alarms in 2014.

Between January and May the total calls for service were 3,487 compared to 3,362 in 2013.

Brissard said the four per cent increase doesn’t alarm him because often RCMP members are out there self-generating work. Even though a constable might pull over a vehicle on his or her own accord, it’s still counted as a call for service.

Reporting of spousal assaults was up by 13 per cent, however, Brissard said in his 25 years of policing, domestic violence hasn’t increased but more people are contacting the RCMP.

“There is more education out there and victims and offenders are coming forward,” Brissard said.



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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