Police Release Second Quarter Crime Stats

Posted:

EN

(4:05 p.m.)

As a follow-up to today’s Board of Police Commissioners' meeting, HRM Partners in Policing are releasing the 2012 second quarter crime statistics. Overall crime is down approximately 10 per cent when comparing the first two quarters of 2012 to the same period in 2011.

Violent crime is down over fifteen per cent, including decreases in homicides, attempt homicides, robberies and assaults. Property crime is down almost seven per cent with decreases in break and enters and thefts of motor vehicles. There were increases in theft over $5000 and theft under $5000 with the latter being influenced by thefts from motor vehicles which continues to be a problem across HRM. Police encourage citizens to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables.

There was an increase in drug incidents which is directly related to directed enforcement. Drug enforcement is part of our overall guns and gangs strategy given that the illegal gun trade often underscores violence in our community. The Guns and Gangs Team, which is part of the HRP/RCMP Integrated Drug Unit, focuses on mid-level players in the drug sub-culture whom we believe are responsible for much of the violence in HRM, especially the shootings.

The reduction in crime to date this year illustrates that our approach is working. HRM Partners in Policing continue to aggressively move forward with our crime reduction strategy while at the same time examining best practices and adapting them for our community where appropriate.

Our crime reduction strategy includes many facets, including:• directing resources to crime ‘hot spots,’• Quick Response and Street Crime Units targeting people who are known to be committing offences,• deploying our Integrated HRP/RCMP Drug Unit, including the Guns and Gangs, for firearms and drug offences,• monitoring those on court-imposed conditions, and • putting community officers in close contact with citizens, tenants’ associations and community groups to address crime as well as quality-of-life issues.