The Coast’s RCMP detachment 2022 first quarter crime stats show that offences against the commercial sector are on the rise, just as businesses try to rebuild after two years of pandemic-restricted operations.
Throughout the Sunshine Coast detachment area , break and enters at commercial premises and shoplifting offences increased between 145 and 800 per cent when compared to the same period in 2021. The 2022 first quarter numbers for commercial break and enters totalled 27 for the detachment area, up from 11 and 20 during that period in 2021 and 2020. Shoplifting counts in this year's first quarter are at 25, up from seven in 2021 and 20 in 2020.
“We are hearing that from the community, that they are concerned about an increase in property crime and wondering whether their businesses are safe,” acting detachment commander Sgt. Jennifer Prunty told Coast Reporter.
Foot patrols in downtown areas are helping
Prunty said the detachment is implementing strategies to mitigate that activity and create more visibility for the community.
“In Sechelt, our foot patrol program...started on May 12,” she said, noting that program is also being extended in Gibsons.
Prunty credited the initiative in Sechelt with having measurable results. Those included apprehension of four people on outstanding warrants, stolen property being located and returned, and a speedy resolution to a recent situation with a missing nine-year-old child.
Prunty said the foot patrols have helped with the management of persons intoxicated in the downtown area, working with partners like RainCity, probation and supportive housing, to find shelter and other assistance for those individuals. In her view, coordinating “wrap-around services” for that sector of the Coast population is key to reducing recidivism, and better outcomes for the individual and the community.
This year’s first set of crime statistics also highlighted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the years of 2020 and 2021 were anomalies in relation to crimes against businesses. Prunty said that with many retail outlets closed for periods of time in those two years, and the way the customer experience changed, opportunities for, and the number of cases of shoplifting were reduced.
Filling of two vacant positions at the detachment is also important in supporting businesses and the community at large in cooperative efforts to address crime on the Coast, according to Prunty. A crime prevention officer position is to be staffed shortly and the successful candidate for a civilian position to help coordinate volunteer programs has been chosen. She said that the individual selected for the second position recently received their security clearance, which had been delayed due to a backlog of work in the department responsible.
Detachment commander recruitment continues
Prunty arrived on the Coast in late June. She will cover as the detachment commander while recruitment for an officer to fill that role continues, as Sgt. Poppy Hallam has opted to not return to that role. Prunty estimated it will take until December for recruitment and relocation of the new staffer to be completed. Once it is, she plans to stay with the detachment, moving into an operations position.
While she was not on staff locally between Jan. 1 and March 31, she presented the first quarter statistics at recent meetings of local government officials. In cooperation with S/Sgt. Martin Guay, who was at the helm of the detachment during the first quarter of 2022 on an acting basis, Prunty walked Town of Gibsons elected officials through the statistics at a committee of the whole meeting on July 12. Prunty credited Guay with the development of reports to local governments that responded to their requests for specific detail on crime in each of the different jurisdictions.
In response to a question regarding detachment workload, Prunty said that in terms of case load per member, the detachment is close to average for “E” division detachments. Addressing the workload issue, she said “It varies and depends on the type of files that are being dealt with… but it is something we gauge, because staff mental wellness is a priority for us.”
