INNISFAIL - Innisfail is experiencing a 22 per cent increase in total Criminal Code offences over the entire year of 2024 when compared to statistics from 2023.
But during the same period total Criminal Code offences for the rural areas decreased by 13.7 per cent.
Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Ian Ihme, the detachment commander, is neither alarmed nor thrilled with either stat as context needs to be added to give a more accurate picture.
“One of the great things about Innisfail is we do enjoy a fairly low crime rate compared to lots of other places, and because of that we have a fairly small sample size of crimes,” said Ihme.
“When I look at the provincial stats and it shows break and enters are down 24 per cent that's fairly significant, right? But what that actually translates into is 18 fewer break and enters than the year before.
“But at the end of the day one motivated offender can commit 18 break and enters in a year. On the same hand when I'm looking at the municipal numbers it shows a 30 per cent increase in break and enters in the town.
“But when you look at the numbers that’s seven extra break and enters over an entire year.”
Ihme emphasized that while numbers can be useful as they can show trends the police need to focus on but they become more relevant with larger sample sizes, like ones for the entire province.
“If we were looking at the province of Alberta stats and saw a 28 per cent decrease across the entire province you're talking about thousands of less break and enters,” said Ihme. “That to me is a lot more relevant, as opposed to how much is crime decreasing or increasing.”
Ihme also pointed out that in the past two previous years there has been historically low crime rates in both the town and rural areas.
However, he added maintaining consistent decreases when statistics are already low ends up being challenging.
“Because it doesn't take much for it to look like a big increase when you've had such low (numbers) in years past,” said Ihme.
Nevertheless, Ihme’s statistical report on crime in both the town and rural areas does include “highlights."
In the town from January to December of 2024 the Innisfail RCMP’s year end statistics show break and enters had a 30.4 per cent increase when compared to the same period in 2023, with 30 in 2024 compared to 23 the year before.
Theft of motor vehicles increased by 15.8 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023. There was 22 in 2024, which was three more than in 2023.
And theft under $5,000 offences increased by 31.3 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023. That year there were 134 theft under $5,000 cases compared to 176 in 2024.
As for total Criminal Code files handled in the town for 2024 when compared to those in 2023 there were 11 fewer persons crime offences, 112 more property crime offences, and 141 more total Criminal Code files.
As for the rural areas, the Innisfail RCMP detachment’s statistics for the entire calendar year of 2024 show break and enters having a 24 per cent decrease when compared to the same period in 2023.
In 2024 there were 57 break and enters compared to 75 in 2023.
Theft of motor vehicles increased by 19.2 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023. In 2024 there were 31 compared to 26 the year before.
The Innisfail RCMP is reporting that theft under $5,000 cases increased by 10.8 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023.
In 2024 there were 133 cases compared to 120 in 2023.
In the rural areas from January to December 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023, the Innisfail RCMP handled 43 fewer persons crime offences, 30 fewer property crime offences, and 97 fewer total Criminal Code offences.
