The RCMP released their 2016 Crime Statistics for the Olds Municipal Detachment, and Cpl. Shawn Morgan was on hand at last week's town policies and priorities meeting (May 15) to bring some context to the report, and discuss policing priorities for the upcoming year.
Priorities over the past year focused on traffic safety, youth relations, and community relations.
According to the new data, the Olds detachment generated 2,758 files in 2016, down from 3,171 files in 2015. A total of 1,809 of those were calls for service from the public. The decrease follows a five-year trend ñ in 2012, the file volume was just over 3,600, and has since steadily decreased.
The top five file types in Olds include false alarms, traffic collisions, criminal mischief, suspicious circumstances, and thefts under $5,000.
A total of 886 Criminal Code violations were recorded in 2016, including 107 against persons and 598 against property, which is comparable to 2015. There has been a steady decrease in reported assaults over the past five years, which numbered 132 in 2012 and now stand at 54.
There were 154 adults charged in 2016 ñ 115 males and 39 females ñ which is almost a 50 per cent increase over the 103 adults charged in 2015. There were also 28 youths involved in Criminal Code files, seven of whom were charged.
EXPLAINING THE NUMBERS
Morgan stressed that while they may give a glimpse, the numbers don't always paint a clear picture.
ìI'm a goalie, and I don't like statistics,î he said. ìThey don't show the true measure of what's going on.î
In the case of a decrease in assaults, explanations could vary: maybe people stopped reporting, maybe there weren't as many public gatherings with alcohol, maybe crime prevention initiatives are working.
An increase in charges is equally difficult to explain ñ are investigators getting better or criminals getting worse? An increase in charges also doesn't necessarily indicate an increase in criminals ñ one person may be responsible for several crimes.
Furthermore, the detachment area accumulates relatively small numbers in general, making it harder to identify trends. Compare the 886 Criminal Code violations within the Olds detachment to the almost 50,000 in Calgary each year. While a 50 per cent increase in charges may seem substantial, it only amounts to a difference of 50 people.
ìEveryone wants to see crime rates go down,î said Morgan, ìbut this community doesn't have a huge crime rate.î
THEFT
While there has been anecdotal concern throughout the community about theft, Morgan noted that the trends have remained relatively stable and there isn't cause for alarm.
ìWe haven't seen any sharp increase or big drop-offs,î Morgan told council.
Morgan said that when they do see an uptick, it is often being caused by ìthe usual suspects.î
ìThose people exist in our community; those are the ones that are committing crimes,î he said. ìIt's one per cent of your community that is responsible for all your fear.î
He did say, however, that the detachment has noticed a recent increase in what he calls ìthe travelling criminalî ñ someone who isn't from the town, and may not have even committed a crime within the jurisdiction, but is apprehended by the detachment.
ìIt's representative of the work your police are doing,î said Morgan, ìbut not always representative of what's happening in your town.î
