Airdrie’s crime statistics rose from 2022 to 2023, but Airdrie RCMP reported at its recent Mar. 27 town hall that crime numbers are actually rebounding to pre-pandemic numbers.
“The crime gauge does look rather intimidating with the red, and that is due to the fact that it is only comparing this year over last year, however the five year trend actually shows that we have an overall nine per cent reduction in total criminal code violation as compared to 2019,” said Airdrie/Beiseker RCMP Detachment Commander, Insp. Lauren Weare, during the town hall.
She added this decrease in crime has been seen despite the continuous population growth of Airdrie since 2019.
Increases in persons' crimes are highlighted by increases in local extortion cases. Nation-wide sex-tortion is a significant trend, as well as assaults, Weare said.
Property crime increased by eight per cent from 2022 to 2023, including a 49 per cent increase in break and enters, but thefts of motor vehicles went down by 34 per cent.
Weare admitted that an increase of break and enters by 49 per cent is alarming, but that the bulk of those numbers were related to attached garages. She noted there is an ongoing investigation that points to a suspect who RCMP believes is responsible for a series of garage break ins.
Garages are being left open and Weare noted most of these break and enters were a crime of opportunity. She added perpetrators are stealing garage openers from unlocked vehicles so they can later return and let themselves in.
While RCMP saw a six per cent increase in criminal code violations compared to 2022, there was also an overall decrease of nine per cent compared to pre-pandemic years.
“Even though we’ve had a lot of growth over that time,” Weare added. “One of the things consistent with jurisdictions across Canada is crime statistics decreased during COVID and we are now in the middle of rebounding back to pre-pandemic numbers.”
Domestic violence occurrences decreased by 10 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022, but overall represented a 25 per cent decrease compared to 2019.
Mental health calls increased by 16 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022, which was an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2019.
Weare noted mental health calls take the most time for officers to deal with. Out of the top ten calls in terms of workload, mental health calls are number one, she said.
The Airdrie RCMP is focused on crime reduction, community engagement, and road safety. Crime reduction is done through intelligence-led policing, targeting hotspot areas, and using specific units such as the special investigative unit investigating high risk and complex domestic and sexual assault cases.
Weare noted that the blending of the Domestic Violence Unit and the Sex Crimes Unit into one special investigative unit is a testament to the intelligence-based policing model.
"[When] we had an emergence of sex crimes that were being reported, we ran a pilot, and then we determined that a lot of our sex crimes were youth were involved, either as victims or as suspects. There were very few stranger offenders," she added.
A mental health and addiction liaison team also works with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to identify and support high risk clients.
Airdrie Municipal Enforcement (M.E.) is focused on bylaw compliance, traffic safety, animal control bylaw, and community education and engagement.
Lynn Mackenzie, Manager for M.E. and RCMP Support Services reported the majority of their calls are related to dogs barking, general bylaw infraction cases, unsightly property complaints, and traffic complaints.
Targeting certain areas, M.E. works together with other policing agencies such as the Alberta Sheriffs highway patrol and the Calgary Police Service.
As of January, M.E. has a new 24/7 call taking and dispatch system, which takes complaints through a dispatch service. The number is 948-8888.
Bryan Rayner, Team Leader of M.E., said they have received 567 calls this year alone, a stat they didn’t have prior. He added the new system will provide better service and already has reduced response time to less than nine seconds.
“By the time the dispatch centre gets the call, they put it out over the air and an officer in under 10 seconds says, ‘Yes I got that,’” Rayner said.
Questions from the public
While not many people attended the town hall on Mar. 27, there were lots of questions emailed in to be answered by RCMP and M.E.
One question asked what police were doing about theft and vandalism with the influx of people in the City of Airdrie. In response, RCMP explained that they often look for a common suspect involved in mischief or property crimes, and focus on quick response and patrolling areas to deter those offenses.
Another question asked RCMP whether a police station was being considered for the west side of the City, to which they said capital planning needs are always being monitored.
Weare said that in collaboration with the City, the RCMP does have an office space on the southwest end of the City that allows officers to stay on, “the other side of the tracks.”
A resident who lives along Veterans Boulevard asked what police are doing to stop loud cars and motorcycles from racing along the road.
Rayner said they invested in technology to monitor the noise levels, allowing for better enforcement.
“Last year, we did Amnesty Education-type days and it was fairly well attended," he said. "A lot of people did use it as an opportunity to do some abatement."
He added they are planning to host another amnesty education day next month where people can come test the sound levels of their vehicles, which will also launch patrols for noisier cars.
Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown then asked how police are handling drivers running red and yellow lights in Airdrie.
Mackenzie, from M.E., said intersection safety is a priority despite a current freeze on automatic safety devices such as cameras.
Rayner added they already ticketed 15 people for red light infractions and five for yellow lights this year.
The key for M.E. is to stay out of sight and catch drivers running through intersections. Rayner said they are looking into using “tattletale lights” allowing police to sit out of sight and be notified by lights when someone runs a yellow or red light.
RCMP added when an officer is able to pull someone over, they are able to check for sobriety, vehicle fitness, as well as hand out demerits to the driver, while cameras can’t prove who is driving.
He said demerits are what deters people from breaking traffic laws as it affects their insurance.
Several questions were asked about police use of force, to which the RCMP explained protocols are set at the federal level, coordinators are spread throughout the provinces, and training for officers is mandated regularly.
Several questions related to how the RCMP determines their allocation of resources, which they again explained are all based on intelligence-led policing such as analytics and hot spots.
Other questions included how a funding boost for Alberta Sheriffs impacted RCMP, how Airdrie’s growth impacts policing, and how residents can support policing efforts.
