Home break-and-enters hit an all-time high in Richmond in 2014 as overall property crime increased 20.5 per cent and overall criminal code offences spiked by 17 per cent.
Last year saw 981 homes being targeted by burglars, the most recorded since 2008 when RCMP started filing crime data to city council. The previous record was 748 in 2011.
Since 2008, Richmond has seen a general downward trend in overall crime.
But Richmondites experienced more crime in 2014 than any other year since 2010.
The 17 per cent hike in overall offences is largely a result of 2013 being a particular good year for crime prevention (a seven year low of 10,180 recorded overall offences).
In 2014, several property offences saw a spike over 2013: There were 345 vehicle thefts (50 per cent), 2,487 thefts from vehicles (38 per cent) and 405 business break-and-enters (13 per cent).
The city also experienced an increase in cases of serious crimes that have low overall annual numbers. For instance, sexual offences went from 54 to 94 and arson from 51 to 65.
On a positive note, drug offences fell for the fifth straight year; in 2014 there were 649 cases whereas in 2013 there were 781.
Some other categories saw a decrease in events, as well: Robberies were down 10 per cent, assaults were down seven per cent and shoplifting was down 17 per cent.
Cops’ pedestrian focus
Meanwhile, Richmond RCMP Supt. Rendall Nesset outlined the RCMP’s top three priorities for 2015.
In a report to the city’s community safety committee this week he recommended that pedestrian safety be the city’s top community policing priority.
“The bulk of recent traffic fatalities in Richmond have been pedestrian related. Consequently, a continued focus on reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries is warranted,” said Nesset. The second priority should be reducing break and enters and thefts from vehicles.
“A rise in these offences is affecting policing jurisdictions across the Lower Mainland,” he said.
Finally, a plan to better serve those with mental health problems should be the RCMP’s third priority, according to Nesset, as there’s been an “escalation” in mental health related calls for police service.
“The Detachment will take a lead role in enhancing the integration of mental health support services and stakeholders, improve data collection to develop understanding of this issue’s magnitude,” wrote Nesset.
