A more than 40 per cent increase in break and enters to businesses was one of the standout statistics provided during a Police Commission Report given by RCMP Jan. 16.
Inspector Robert Lake, the Williams Lake RCMP’s current detachment commander, provided mayor and council with the report covering the period from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023. Lake highlighted some investigations, convictions, and a few of the significant statistics and an update on current detachment resources.
Lake told the Tribune the detachment was working to take a more proactive approach.
Significant files Lake highlighted in his report for council included a traffic stop in early August resulting in the seizure of $30,000 in drugs and a loaded shotgun.
Later in August, two arrests resulted from an investigation into a reported robbery at gun point.
Another search warrant in September resulted in RCMP seizing cocaine, methamphetamine and over $10,000 in cash and four illegal firearms.
In December, a traffic-related check by one member north of Williams Lake resulted in a the officer reportedly witnessing a driver sleeping in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with what appeared to be crystal meth on the passenger seat. A search of the vehicle then reportedly lead to the discovery of more illicit drugs, including fentanyl. Another December call to a report of a drive-by shooting resulted in the pursuit of a suspect, who was apprehended and arrested with the use of a spike belt. The report made for some fascinating reading on local RCMP activities. It also contained some hard numbers.
The Williams Lake RCMP received 4,559 calls to service in the last half of 2023, 3,394 of those calls have been inside the city limits, while 1,165 were in rural parts of their jurisdiction, about 25 per cent of calls.
The 4,559 is an increase of 218, or five per cent, over the year before, with some types of offences up and some down. Person offences, which includes offences against a person like assault, murder, and sexual assault, were down 10 per cent in the area, from 320 in 2022 to 288 in 2023.
Some violent offences were up, however. Assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm offences were up more than 28 per cent with 54 in 2023 from 42 in 2022.
Break and enters to businesses were up to 48 in 2023 versus 34 in 2022, but break and enters to residences have decreased, dropping from 34 in 2022 to 18 in 2023, a decrease of over 40 per cent.
Also on the good news side, vehicle theft was down 20 per cent, with 32 in 2023 versus 40 in 2022, but theft from vehicles increased five per cent, with 83 in 2023 over 79 in 2022.
Mischief and property offences were also both up from the previous year. With 223 mischief offences in 2023 versus 187 in 2022, this was a nearly 20 per cent rise and property offences were up almost 10 per cent, with 61 more property offences this year over last.
After the decriminalization of small amounts of controlled substances, controlled drug and substances offences were slightly down, however drug trafficking offences have increased from 11 to 26 from 2022 to 2023.
Another stand out statistic was an increase in robberies, though the low numbers means each one significantly impacts the statistic. Robberies are thefts or extortion of property which includes the use of a weapon, violence or threat of violence. These indictable offences under the criminal code were up from one in 2022 to five in 2023, an increase of 400 per cent.
Collisions decreased 25 per cent down from 176 in 2022 to 132 in 2023, while impaired offences also decreased from 41 to 36.
With staffing still slightly below capacity at 82 per cent, with 4.5 vacancies in what would ideally be a 25-person detachment, Lake said the the major factor in the detachment’s reduced staffing are “soft vacancies” due to illness or maternity and paternity leaves. There is one vacancy in the Indigenous Policing Service which will soon be filled. The inspector touched on his desire to see the traffic enforcement position at the detachment staffed as well.
“We’d like to see more patrol presences,” said Lake. A dedicated officer in the traffic position would be able to focus on school zones and providing an important resource when traffic fatalities and serious collisions occur, which normally take up a lot of police resources from other investigations, he said. Lake also mentioned the move he made to discontinue holding prisoners in cells in the detachment prior to sentencing. Instead, suspects who are apprehended and not released on bail are remanded to the appropriate facilities within 24 hours as much as possible.
Lake came to the Williams Lake detachment in July of 2023 and spent time posted in Labrador prior to this.
READ MORE: Gangster gets 3 years for drive-by shooting in downtown Williams Lake
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