Collisions and break and enters see downward trend in Delta

There is good news on a number of fronts for Delta, when looking at crime and crash statistics in the second quarter of 2019.

Collisions were down in the second quarter of 2019 – to 259 crashes, down 16% from 310 in the first quarter of this year, and down 10% compared to the same time last year.

“Road safety is one of the highest priorities for Delta Police, as it affects so many in our community,” says Chief Neil Dubord. “Our officers are making a concerted effort particularly as pertains to speeders and impaired drivers, and I’m very pleased with this result.”

Collisions are down 10% in the second quarter, vs the same time last year

Traffic violation tickets were slightly down with 2,750 handed out during the second quarter in 2019, compared to 2,974 issued in the first quarter of 2019.

Residential and Commercial break and enters were both down in the second quarter. There were 47 residential Break and Enters reported to police in this time, down from 55 at the same time last year, and 54 from the first three months of 2019. On the commercial front there were 30 break and enters reported, down from 43 in the first part of 2019.

“We’ve worked hard on a number of initiatives with businesses this year, to help reduce incidences of thefts, whether that be a program to reduce battery theft, or increasing our outreach to businesses to assist them in improving security on site. It appears this is having some success,” says Chief Dubord.

He notes that residents and business owners with security cameras can register for the Delta Police Community Watch Program at https://deltapolice.ca/cwp/. (If you register by August 31 you could win an iPad!) This program creates a database which helps police know who might have video footage that could help solve a crime.

Unfortunately, persons offences continues to increase, a trend Delta Police has seen since 2018, up to 247 instances in the second quarter, up from 222 in the first quarter, or 219 during the same time last year. Persons offences include crimes such as assault or sex assault, arson, robbery etc,

The majority of persons offences continue to involve individuals known to each other, including those in a familial or partner relationship. This category of offences also includes assaults on loss prevention officers, road rage or assaults on medical professionals. There has not been an increase in stranger assaults, and gang related violence is uncommon in Delta.

Thefts from auto are down 11.5% in the second quarter, compared to the same time last year.

Finally, thefts from auto are down 13% from the first quarter, with 177 instances noted compared to 205 in the first quarter. The stats are also down 11.5% compared to the second quarter last year.

Delta Police adjusted its 2018 statistics to retroactively incorporate new rules from Statistics Canada for all police agencies on reporting on offences categorized previously as unfounded. The updated statistics now include offences where there is no credible evidence to confirm the incident did not take place.

Past quarterly crime stats are online at https://deltapolice.ca/stats/ along with an updated crime map.