Property crimes, including break and enters, along with mischief, are half of what they were this time last year, according to Constable Lee Bellamy of the Nakusp RCMP.
In 2015, there were seven calls to the RCMP regarding these types of crime. This year, there were only three.
This was one of many interesting facts Cst. Bellamy presented at the village council meeting of October 11.
Though the reason for the decrease in this type of crime is unknown, Bellamy has a theory.
“A couple of people were arrested for some crimes in town and were away serving time,” he said. “My belief is that they did some of the property crimes, hence why there is a drop.”
There has also been an overall drop in calls concerning other criminal offences, with the RCMP receiving only 45 calls this year compared to 70 in 2015.
Charges for impaired driving increased this year.
There are two categories for impaired driving. One is under the Criminal Code, which applied nationwide. The other is an Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) when a driver blows over 0.08, the legal limit, on a roadside screening device. Numbers for IRPs went from zero to three in 2016.
“That’s a little worrying to me, that people are willing to drive while intoxicated, especially in a community this size,” said Cst. Bellamy. “We can always get a sober ride, we have a taxi in town, we can walk home. There’s no reason to be driving.”
Bellamy would like the community to be aware of Crime Stoppers. He stressed that RCMP has nothing to do with how Crime Stoppers is run, and wants residents to know any calls made to the organization are anonymous.
“What they do is they gather information,” he said. “They then create a small package, which they send to the RCMP or the police force of the area to investigate.”
Information provided through Crime Stoppers can be used in police and RCMP investigations, and might point law enforcement officers to illegal operations they might not know about otherwise.
Along with calling in tips, residents can also go online to bccrimestoppers.com.
Bellamy has one piece of advice for Nakusp residents.
“Just keep your eyes open, and report anything you see that is suspicious,” he said. “Nakusp is a safe community, and we all know each other, so if something’s not looking right, call us and we’ll make sure it’s OK.”