(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Crime Stats

Violent crimes seeing big rise in P.A. to start 2022

Apr 27, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert is seeing a steep rise in violent crimes to start the year.

The P.A. police board met on April 26 where they discussed crime statistics for the first three months of the year.

From January to March, there were 357 victims of violent crimes. This is a roughly 30 per cent increase from last year.

There were three murders in the first three months. The city is on pace for 12 this year which would be higher than each of the last nine years. There were 11 homicides in 2020 and 10 in 2021, while the previous seven years combined for 16.

The number of assaults is nearly 50 per cent higher this year than last.

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Over the first three months, there were 256, while 2021 saw 172. 2022’s total is also 25 per cent higher than the five-year average. Over half of the assault victims were adult women.

On a positive note, sexual assaults are actually down.

There have been 23 to start 2022, which is lower than each of the last three years. There were 40 assaults in the first three months of 2021.

Police chief responds

The high volume of violent crimes isn’t lost on P.A.’s police service. Chief Jon Bergen told paNOW they’re taking each case seriously.

“Each one of those incidents is a concern, nobody should be subject to violence ever.”

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons for the steep rise. However, Bergen noted changes in the way they report may be playing a small part.

“There’s a significant commitment on the police service to ensure we are accurately reporting and capturing every one of those details.”

He added he understands victims of these crimes may struggle, that’s why they’ve partnered with different community services to ensure everyone has access to much-needed supports.

Reporting crime

PAPS and the City of P.A. have partnered on a new video in hopes of helping residents better report crime and suspicious activity.

The video, developed by Aspen Films, includes information about when people should call 911, how they can report non-emergency incidents like theft, fraud, and property damage, how Crime Stoppers works, and the issues bylaw services cover.

—

Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow