Prince George RCMP endured an even busier year than usual.
The detachment received 41,394 calls for service over 2016, an increase of 2,082 from the year before, detachment Supt. Warren Brown told city council on Monday night.
"It's too early to suggest or analyze why that's been," Brown said. "We've had some crime types go up and I would suggest for some of the programs we've had, we've encouraged people to call police and I think that's positive."
The count is also significantly higher than in 2012 when 36,396 files were opened, a low for the past eight years. The number has continually increased since then.
There were four homicides over the year and it's suspected one person who has gone missing was the victim of foul play, Brown said, but did not provide a name.
He said progress has been made on one of those cases - the June 15 drive-by shooting death of a man at a 3600-block Forest Avenue home, one of three drug-related gunplay incidents that struck the city during that month.
"We have very good direction on that file so we anticipate that in the near future we can make some arrests on that file and hopefully deter and prevent this from happening in the future," Brown said.
He also highlighted a call from a neighbourhood group for the Queensway area adjacent to Connaught Hill for help from the RCMP.
"We heard stories from people saying it was a high crime area, they were afraid to walk at night, they had items stolen, there was heavy prostitution, there was drug trafficking, there was needles," Brown said.
"We met a couple of times over the course of the year with these folks to hear their concerns. We used data from analysts, we then strategized to see how we can combat that."
As a result, the total files for alleged criminal offences in that area has dropped by about 100 since 2013 when the January-September periods are compared.
Despite the decrease in crime, Brown said the detachment still encourages residents in that neighbourhood to call the RCMP if they see something suspicious which has contributed to the higher calls for service.
Turning to the closure of the Connaught Motor Inn, Brown said the number of calls to that site has dropped 67 per cent in the three months since its business licence was pulled at the start of July.
"The residents in that area and the businesses now enjoy a quieter, more tranquil community and I will say that with certainty it had not displaced the problem," Brown said. "We have not seen a spike in crime in other areas because of this, so it was just good attention and good leadership from the city in this regard to hold people accountable."
Third and George remains a trouble spot. Calls to that area rose by 34 per cent since 2011 as "vulnerable people" continue to converge for social and health service, court appearances and shelter.
"Unfortunately, because vulnerable people with addictions require to attend this area for those services, we also find individuals who prey upon those folks," Brown said. "We have a higher volume of drug trafficking in that area, a higher volume of violence from drug collecting and debt collecting, we have a higher volume of theft and we have a higher volume of crime overall."
But he did highlight one significant win - the bust of an alleged drug-dealing operation out of a purported cellphone repair shop. It was located just a few doors away from the needle exchange at the corner of Third and George. Charges related to that effort remain pending.
Those who think they can make a living dealing drugs in Prince George will find themselves on the wrong side of the law, Brown warned.
"The police are going to find you and your door is going to get kicked down and you are going to go to jail," he said.
The detachment's contract with the city allows for as many as 135 members but the actual count was no higher than 117 over the year. Brown pointed to attrition - officers retiring at earlier ages - and the detachment acting as a stepping stone as the reasons.
"We're a pressure detachment so we're not a desirable place to come for transfer," Brown said. "However, we're certainly a very good detachment for gaining the skills and abilities that unfortunately bode well for the other detachments because folks get recognized for their skills and talents and move on."
But he expects that barring any further losses, enough cadets are now being trained to bring the number back up to a full complement by this spring.
