Rossland’s reputation as a family-friendly community was reinforced by the release of the “snapshot” of crime statistics for 2012.
RCMP staff sargent Rob Hawton of the Trail and District detachment—which also serves Rossland— presented the year that was in crime under several categories.
Anecdotally, Rossland is pretty nice, he said.
“I’ve been around the province, I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and with numbers like these you are looking at a pretty good area,” he said.
Councillor Jill Spearn said one of the latest surveys done offered a top comment of Rossland being a safe community, and that’s why it is a family-friendly community.
“Hopefully our statistics will remain low,” she said. “That is favourable to any community when people are looking to perhaps come and move here.”
There is no RCMP station in the city anymore. Police do patrol the community, and answer calls for service.
Hawton felt the police presence in the city has increased in the last year after the institution of 24/7 policing. He said police are able to come up to the city at night and patrol.
“And that’s when crime usually happens, at night,” Hawton said.
Through the Trail Crime Reduction Unit, police have identified some repeat perpetrators and, subsequently, have taken a more “proactive” approach, he said.
“Very few people commit a vast majority of the crimes,” Hawton said. “So we are trying to target them right off the bat beforehand.”
According to the snapshot of the crime statistics there were no murders in 2011 or 2012, but there were two sexual assaults recorded in both 2011 and 2012.
Assaults (excluding sexual assaults) were also the same in 2012 as it was in 2011 at eight.
Break and enters decreased by 50 per cent to four, while attempted break and enters’ increased from zero to one.
Theft of motor vehicles doubled, from one to two in 2012. Theft, mischief and possession of stolen property decreased in 2012, from 43 to 36 incidences.
Drug offences rose slightly from seven to eight cases.
The total reportable property damage accidents to vehicles in 2012 decreased to 11 from 18 in 2011. Motor Vehicle Act (immediate roadside prohibitions) dropped in 2012 to three from five in 2011.
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