Half of the 14 categories of crime tracked by the Thompson RCMP in their monthly municipal policing report to the city were down in January of this year compared to 2018, but half of them saw overall increases last year compared to 2017.
The report is included as part of the agenda for a public safety committee meeting held Feb. 14.
January saw four sexual assaults reported, down from 10 last year, and 84 assaults, a decrease from 97 in January 2018. Drug-related incidents were down to 20 from 26 last year, while other Criminal Code violations (mischief) dropped from 206 in January 2018 to 147 in the first month of this year. There was one Criminal Code traffic violation in January of this year compared to two the year before, while traffic collisions decreased from 39 in the first month of 2018 to 33 this January. There were also fewer missing persons reports and requests to locate people – 179 this January compared to 2017 the year before.
The number of break-and-enters remained at five, the same number as January 2018, as did the number of homicides, which was zero both this January and in 2018.
Domestic assaults were up slightly, from 14 in January 2018 to 16 this year. There were also more cases of theft (36 in 2019 compared to 31 the year before), and more public disorder and Intoxicated Persons Detention Act (IPDA) incidents this January – 290 – than last – 279. There were also 17 liquor violations, up one from January 2018, while provincial traffic violations jumped from 104 in January 2018 to 258 in the first month of this year.
Six of the 14 categories were higher in 2018 than in the previous year: sexual assaults, assaults, thefts, drug violations, traffic collisions, and missing persons/requests to locate. All of these categories saw more incidents in 2018 than in the previous three years. Domestic assaults, break-and-enters, thefts, public disorder/IPDA incidents, mischief, liquor, Criminal Code traffic offences, provincial traffic offences and homicides were all down in 2018 compared to the previous year. Only 183 liquor violations were recorded in 2018, lower than in any of the previous three years.
