Duane Hicks
Crime statistics are down in Fort Frances for the first quarter of 2009, OPP A/Insp. Steve Shouldice reported to town council Monday night.
In a police services activity report, A/Insp. Shouldice said assaults were down 31 percent over the first quarter of 2008, break-and-enters were down 43 percent, thefts under $5,000 were down 38 percent, and drug charges were down 63 percent.
However, traffic charges were up 11 percent over this period last year.
Total occurrences for the first quarter were 833, compared to last year’s 812.
There were no murders, two sexual assaults, two robberies, 32 assaults (down from last year’s 47), eight break-and-enters (down from last year’s 14), one auto theft, no thefts over $5,000, and 19 thefts under $5,000.
There also were 12 charges of mischief, seven impaired driving charges, and four drug charges.
The local OPP also has been showing very high clearance rates. In the first quarter, the violent crime clearance rate has been 96.8 percent, compared to 92.5 percent in both 2007 and 2008.
For property crime, the clearance rate is 42.9 percent, up from last year’s 39.7.
The drug crime clearance rate has been 100 percent.
A/Insp. Shouldice noted the local detachment has been exhibiting clearance rates higher than both the provincial and national average.
For example, the national rate of property crime clearance is only a little over 20 percent while here it has been around 40 percent.
In the first quarter of 2009, the OPP here laid 115 Criminal Code charges, down from last year’s 135. A total of 126 Highway Traffic Act charges were laid, compared to 113 this time last year.
Drug charges are down, totalling seven compared to 19 in the first quarter last year. There have been 23 charges under the Liquor Licence Act (the same as last year).
There have been six other provincial statute charges, about the same as the last two years.
There also have been two bylaw charges laid and 15 parking tickets given out.
In the first quarter of 2009, there was a total of 74 motor vehicle collisions, up from 64 in the same period of time last year, and 55 in 2007.
There were no motor vehicle collision fatalities, but six crashes causing injury (down from nine in 2008).
There were 68 property damage-causing collisions, up from 55 in the same period last year.
For the first quarter of 2009, police provided 8,486.5 hours of service, up from both 2008 and 2007.
Revenues for the first quarter of 2009 equalled $3,396.45.
Council also got to meet new detachment commander S/Sgt. John Kendrick at Monday night’s meeting.
S/Sgt. Kendrick, who just started the job here Monday, most recently was the OPP’s regional traffic manager in Thunder Bay.
S/Sgt. Kendrick has 25 years of police experience, including the past 11 in the North West Region, serving as detachment commander in Pickle Lake and Marathon before taking on his current position for the last two years.
S/Sgt. Kendrick was born in North Bay, grew up in Pickering, and started his policing career in Owen Sound. He will be moving here from Thunder Bay with his wife and two children.
He noted Monday that he looks forward to working with council and the rest of the community.
S/Sgt. Kendrick takes over the job left vacant by Insp. Dave Lucas, who relocated to Kenora back in January.
S/Sgt. Steve Shouldice has been acting superintendent in the interim.
