A lot more distracted drivers in Richmond were handed fines in January compared to previous months.
A total of 116 people were ticketed for distracted driving compared to 38 in December and 53 in November.
There was also an increase in the number of speeding tickets given out – 379 in January compared to 235 in December. There were 1,177 violation tickets handed in total in January; in December, this total was 993.
In a report to the public safety committee, crime statistics from the four largest Lower Mainland communities served by the RCMP, Richmond, Coquitlam, Burnaby, Surrey, were compared and Richmond had the second lowest violent crime and property crime rates. Only Coquitlam was lower in these two indicators.
But several areas show crime statistics for the month of January were up as compared to last year. Robberies doubled from five to 10, and serious assaults increased to 14 from nine. Car thefts were up 106 per cent, from 16 last year in January to 33 this year, but theft from cars was down with only 183 recorded this January compared to 217 in January 2018.
Mental-health related calls also jumped significantly, from 111 in January of last year, to 190 this January, an increase of 71 per cent.
Fire-rescue
Richmond Fire and Rescue responded to 749 incidents in January, down 23 per cent compared to January last year, and, on average, they were on scene for 26 minutes.
In January there were 23 fires reported to Richmond Fire and Rescue – six residential, both single family and multi-family homes, five commercial/industrial, 10 outdoor fires and two fires.
The fire department estimated only $1,000 asset loss from residential fires in January, while the five commercial/industrial fires caused about $362,000 in damage.
The majority of service calls to Richmond Fire and Rescue were medical and motor vehicle calls. There were 332 calls for medical assistance and 113 for motor vehicle calls. There were also 14 public hazard calls, 11 HazMat calls and one explosion.
The statistics will be presented to Richmond council on Tuesday at their Community Safety Committee meeting at 4 p.m.
