By Taylor MacPherson

Meth-driven property crime still a major issue in P.A.: Police

Jun 27, 2017 | 2:00 PM

Although violent crime is down, Prince Albert’s police chief said property crimes committed by crystal meth users continue to create issues for the city and its police force.

The police statistics for May, released publicly yesterday, show property crime has risen by almost 10 per cent over last year’s numbers. Non-residential break-and-enters have increased by 145 per cent and motor vehicle thefts are up by 45 per cent. Possession of stolen property and fraud charges were up significantly, but the rate of residential break-and-enters has dropped slightly since last year.

In contrast, violent offences and other crimes against persons in Prince Albert have dropped by 23 per cent since 2016. There have been 271 assaults so far this year, compared to more than 350 over the same period last year. Prince Albert has only seen one murder so far in 2017, the same rate as 2016.

Police Chief Troy Cooper said the increase in property crime is driven by users of crystal methamphetamine, a trend which has been ongoing throughout western Canada since the fall of 2015.

“Crystal meth is a drug that has a really severe withdrawal,” he said. “People who are addicted have to feed that habit routinely, and they need to have property to sell or some way to get money.”

Signed

Mintos netminder Henry commits to SJHL's Mustangs for 2025/26 season

3h ago

Court proceedings

Four years for man who raped teen girl while high on meth

3h ago

Organizational meeting

Stubbs resumes chairperson duties for Catholic School Division.

Nov 26, 2024

The trend is not isolated to Prince Albert, Cooper said. Similar trends are visible in Saskatoon and other Saskatchewan urban centres as methamphetamine use increases throughout the western part of the country. As a result, Cooper said, the police service has directed more resources towards combatting meth proactively.

“We recognize it’s still an issue, and we’ve added human resources to work on it as a task force,” Cooper said. “Getting people who are trafficking the drugs, holding them accountable, identifying people that need treatment – I think that is the long-term answer.”

Although the stats show Prince Albert police have had success battling violent crime recently, domestic calls have risen slightly. The police chief said violent and domestic calls in P.A. typically have alcohol, not meth, at their root.

“Violent crime is still not where we’d like to see it. It’s certainly better than it was last year, but it’s tied to alcohol use,” Cooper said. “It’s a great reason to support our alcohol strategy and the different programs that we have.”

In addition to supporting community initiatives like the Community Alcohol Strategy or Midtown Neighbourhood Watch, Cooper said there are a few simple steps residents can take to reduce and discourage property crime. Most of the measures fall under common sense, such as adding exterior lighting or cutting away brush to make it difficult for criminals to pass unseen. Although removing the keys from a parked car seems like a no-brainer, Cooper said the police see a surprising number of vehicles stolen simply because the keys were left inside.

“People are looking for easy opportunities, and if they find an unlocked car or if they break into a car and find keys, they’re going to take the car,” Cooper said. “We’ve had as many as four vehicles in a night stolen, all with keys left in it.”

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews