It looks bad, but it is not as bad as it looks.
That is how Drayton Valley RCMP Staff Sargent Erin Matthews summed up her report when she presented the monthly crime statistics to Drayton Valley town council at their May 4, 2022 meeting.
Matthews reported, there has been a nine per cent rise in criminal code offences from January through March 2022, when compared to the same time period in 2021.
Persons crimes took one of the bigger jumps, as there was a 32 per cent increase. Matthews attributes that to the economic turnaround. When business is up, it brings all the crime that comes along with business being up.
There was also an increase in criminal harassment files, with 24 incidents in the past three months. Matthews was dismissive of the increase, noting it is just more people reporting suspicious behaviour in their neighbourhood.
Deputy Mayor Tom McGee was concerned about staffing at the Drayton Valley detachment.
Matthews shared that Drayton Valley is a young detachment, as they have nine members with less than one year of experience. The detachment recently had an opening for a corporal, and they are still looking for a new sergeant.
With the weather starting to warm up, Mayor Nancy Dodds was wondering if there had been a rise in bicycle thefts. Dodds also wanted to know if people are registering their bicycles with the Town’s bike index.
Matthews replied, they have not seen a rise in bike thefts yet, but they also have not seen a rise in thefts in general. Matthews also shared her enthusiasm for the bike index, and encourages people to register.
You can get all the information on how to register your bike at www.draytonvalley.ca/bike-index.
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