According to last week’s police report, “there has been an increase in property crime over the last month including theft from vehicles and theft of bicycles.”
The same note was included in the police report from two weeks ago.
This week, RCMP responded to even more calls (up from 93 to 114 week over week), although that’s not necessarily due to property crimes.
Some people have come into our office to tell us what happened to them. We appreciate readers letting us know.
However, I would also highly encourage anyone who’s been the victim of a crime, to contact the RCMP.
Canada-wide the rate of property crime for those 12 to 17 was 2,124 per 100,000, for those 18 to 24 it was 1,959 per 100,000 and for those 25 and over is was 701 per 100,000 in 2014, according to Statistics Canada. In other words, the property crime rate was about three times as high for those between 12 and 24 than those 25 and over.
While it doesn’t break down into further categories, it would likely be safe to assume that the trend of property crime decreasing with age continues as age increases. Data indicates similar trends for other crimes (albeit at different rates).
With the South Cariboo consisting of a majority of seniors (with as data suggests a low crime rate) and relatively few young people, it’s hard to believe that the cause of the sudden increase in property crimes, whether it’s equipment being stolen from Mt Timothy, cars being broken into or plastic lawn chairs being stolen, is anything other than a few bad apples (regardless of what age they may be).
If, as a community, we are vigilant and keep our eyes open, and make sure we keep the RCMP informed, it can’t be long before they’re caught (if they haven’t been already).
Even if your particular case does not get solved or directly help end the increase in property crime, the increase in reports may help the RCMP when it comes to requesting extra resources.
One final reminder:
“The 100 Mile House RCMP are asking the public to take simple steps to avoid being the victim of a crime by locking their vehicles and removing keys from their vehicles. Recording the serial number of their bicycles will also assist in having these items returned if they are recovered.
“Further, if you are reporting a crime such as a theft from a vehicle or a break and enter to the RCMP, please do not clean, move or touch items located in the vehicle, residence or business prior to police attendance. Valuable evidence can be obtained from these items on some occassions, so it is best to have police look at the overall situation prior to cleaning or moving items found to be out of place after a theft.”