Reduced Crime in Williams Lake

St. Sgt. Warren Brown of the Williams Lake RCMP provided Council with a review of the 2010 crime statistics at the January 11th Council meeting and the results are nothing short of amazing. Compared to 2008, when crime appeared to be at an all-time high in Williams Lake, a majority of criminal offence categories have seen as much as an 88% reduction, with many in the 50 - 60% range. The reduction in offences corresponds with a 20% reduction in Calls for Service.



Having been the City's liaison with the RCMP for a number of years, I can offer some opinions and observations with respect to the why these numbers have decreased so dramatically. It is recognized that crime in general in down in communities throughout BC and the country. However, not anywhere near the levels of reduction we've seen in Williams Lake.



Most notably, the Williams Lake RCMP has taken a very consistent approach to dealing with the community's prolific offenders - those few individuals who are responsible for a vast majority of crime. These individuals have been provided a particularly high level of attention from our RCMP members and as a result, when they offend, they are being arrested and are receiving stronger sentences. There is a clear correlation between reduced incidents of property crime and the incarceration of prolific offenders so when these individuals are in prison, our community is much safer.



Another factor influencing crime reduction is the dedication and efforts of the numerous volunteers in our community policing programs. These volunteers spend numerous hours patrolling our streets, facilitating Restorative Justice circles, monitoring traffic speeds and providing education to the community to name a few.



In late 2008, the current Council approved funding for two civilian support positions at the Williams Lake detachment, intended to reduce some of the administrative requirements of the RCMP members, thus allowing the members to spend more time on patrol and conducting investigations. These positions have proved invaluable and in 2010, Council committed to these positions becoming long term.

These latest statistics are good news for our community and indicate a promising trend that we hope will continue in 2011.