The number of car thefts and break and enters in businesses have gone up in the West Shore in recent months, according to new RCMP statistics.
According to a quarterly report to Highlands council from West Shore RCMP, car thefts have increased 70 per cent to 56 files between April 1 to June 30, compared to the same time last year when there were 36.
So far this year, there have been 104 thefts from cars, compared to the same period last year when there were 61.
West Shore RCMP Const. Alex Berube said the increase can mainly be attributed to prolific offenders who are responsible for several similar crimes.
“We often see a switch in our stats (positively to negatively) depending on if those prolific offenders are in custody or out in the community,” he said.
For example, police have identified three major auto theft offenders recently, two of whom are now in jail for other charges. As a result, Berube expects to see car thefts decrease in the next quarter.
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Prolific offenders may also be to blame when it comes to the rise in break and enters at businesses, Berube said. There were 14 break and enters at businesses, compared to 12 in the same quarter in 2016. That brings the total number of business break and enters to 29 so far this year – a 48 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Drug trafficking continues to be a problem, with 65 files so far this year, compared to 48 during the same period in 2016.
Despite increases in some types of crime, Berube said the detachment’s crime reduction unit has been successful at proactively targeting property crime offenders, prolific offenders, and conducting warrant apprehensions on people with outstanding warrants.
On the flip side, there has been a 33 per cent decrease in break and enters at residences and a 20 per cent decrease in fraud.
Langford has the most amount of files so far this year at 5,076, followed by Colwood with 1,620, View Royal at 1,558, Metchosin with 463, and the Highlands with 164, varying from assaults to sex offenses, and drug trafficking to domestic violence.