ESTEVAN - The Estevan Police Service experienced a 6.6 per cent decline in call volumes in 2024, according to figures released at Wednesday's meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners.
The EPS received 7,423 calls last year, compared to 7,946 in 2023. The 2024 figure was also below the five-year average of 7,906.
Police Chief Jamie Blunden described it as "an average year" when it came to the stats.
"I don't think there was anything that jumped out at us, or no anomalies, but when I look at it, there's a few items we can look at and probably sharpen up here and there," said Blunden.
The number of crimes against the person and crimes against property were up last year from 2023, while infractions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code traffic violations were down.
For crimes against the person, there were 174 reported for the EPS in 2024, led by 121 assaults. There were also 37 sexual crimes, 12 assaults causing bodily harm, three robberies and one attempted murder.
For 2023, there were 154 crimes against the person, with 110 assaults, 32 sexual crimes and 10 assaults causing bodily harm. There was also one murder and one attempted murder in 2023.
The sex crimes were up 16 per cent, and Blunden noted the increase was largely due to sextortions and other matters from online platforms.
Crimes against property stood at 444 last year, up 10 per cent from the 405 reported in 2023. The bulk of the property crimes in 2024 were thefts under $5,000 (233) and mischief/willful damage complaints (139). There were also 34 residential break and enters, 26 thefts of a motor vehicle, six business break and enters, five thefts over $5,000 and one arson.
By comparison, in 2023, there were 405 crimes against property, with 197 for thefts under $5,000, 131 mischief/willful damage complaints, 48 residential break and enters, 14 thefts of a motor vehicle, nine thefts over $5,000, three business break and enters, two arsons, and one break and enter listed as other.
Blunden said the number of vehicle thefts is an issue the EPS is monitoring. They increased by 86 per cent.
"When I asked my investigators as far as why it was up so much, a lot of it had to do with a lot more charges of taking an auto without the owner's consent. That's been the theme of the last few months with respect to those numbers being higher," Blunden said.
The number of thefts under $5,000 – which could include shoplifting or taking an item from a vehicle or a backyard – was up about 18 per cent. Blunden said the EPS might need to remind people about the need to secure their belongings.
"We do have an issue here with drugs and addictions, and sometimes these individuals are looking for the quick fix by obtaining something that they can sell off fairly quickly."
In the past few months, the number of crimes against property has been trending downward.
There were 24 violations for the Controlled Dugs and Substances Act, with 14 for trafficking and 10 for possession. By comparison, there were 33 in 2023, with 20 for trafficking and 13 for possession.
The EPS handled 136 Criminal Code traffic violations, with 87 for impaired/exceed-related offences due to alcohol (compared with 119 in 2023), 26 impaired-by-drug offences (versus 23 in 2023) and 23 for dangerous driving and other (up from 15 the previous year).
Blunden is pleased to see impaired driving by alcohol was down about 27 per cent. The decline in the number of impairment/exceed by alcohol calls more-than offset the increase in impairment by drug infractions.
"We've done a lot of education over the last little while [on impairment by alcohol]," said Blunden. "We have a lot of high-visibility traffic programs that are out there. We're doing a lot in the community. A lot of messaging from SGI with respect to drinking and driving."
He expects the EPS will have to dedicate more time to educating the public about the dangers of impairment by drug.
Blunden is confident that when Statistics Canada releases its crime severity index numbers in July, the data will show Estevan is on the right track.
He also said the EPS will be more visible in the community. A survey conducted by the University of Regina indicated people in Estevan would like to see EPS officers more often, and he believes that would help reduce some of the smaller offences that happen in Estevan.
The December numbers for the EPS were also released at the meeting. There were 16 crimes against the person, including 12 assaults, three sexual crimes and one assault causing bodily harm. Crimes against property stood at 36, with 20 thefts under $5,000, 15 mischief/wilful damage complaints and one theft of a motor vehicle.
There were 12 Criminal Code traffic violations, with seven for impaired/exceed-related offences, two for impairment by drug and three of dangerous driving/other. No charges were laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
