RCMP members present crime reports to Dawson Creek and Taylor councils

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — RCMP members presented reports to the City of Dawson Creek and the District of Taylor over the last couple of weeks.

The Dawson Creek detachment had 7,021 calls for service from January to September 2023.

For the period between January 1st and September 30th, 2023, there were a total of 86 thefts of vehicles, a decrease of 28 per cent from 2022.

The same period saw 73 thefts from vehicles, a decrease of 32 per cent from last year.

There were also 49 calls of break and enters to residences and 83 to businesses, decreases of 20 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively.

There were 301 thefts, which is another decrease of 25 per cent.

According to the report, there were only two increases in 2023 from January to September compared to 2022.

There were 199 cases of assault with a weapon and aggravated assault, a 5 per cent increase from 2022. There were 39 cases of sexual assault and sexual interference, compared to 32 in 2022.

The report also states sexual assault and sexual interference cases are showing a declining trend.

The crime statistics presented to Dawson Creek council on October 30th comprise calls for service, as well as proactive investigations.

Also included in the report are the vacancies in the detachment, which for September included two temporary and four “hard” vacancies. However, a member has been identified to fill the corporal position and will transfer from Chilliwack within 90 days.

The other three vacancies are constable positions.

The Dawson Creek Citizens on Patrol volunteer hours and kilometres patrolled from January to September were also included.

The Citizens on Patrol group put in 369 volunteer hours and travelled 2,576 kilometres.

On October 23rd, Inspector Anthony Hanson, the officer in charge at the Fort St. John RCMP detachment, presented Taylor’s 2022 statistics to council.

In Taylor, there were 340 calls for service in 2022 and 112 in South Taylor.

According to the report, 17 were person-related criminal code offences, 32 were property crimes, and 10 were labelled as other. 

All three showed a decrease compared to previous years going back to 2018.

In 2022, there were five cases of break and enter to a business and five cases of to a residence. There have been no cases of arson in Taylor since 2020.

The report states there were five total cases of vehicle thefts and nine types of other thefts in Taylor and South Taylor in 2022. 

There were 11 cases of mischief to property and nine cases of public disturbances. All of these cases were either the same or less than 2021.