Shoplifting, thefts from cars, and catalytic converter heists are all on the minds of local RCMP, Supt. Adrian Marsden said as he gave a quarterly update to Langley Township council on Nov. 20.
Marsden’s update covered the period from July through September, and he offered stats on both violent crime and property crime across Langley.
Thefts and mischief to property were among the top reported crimes.
“A vast majority of those files were theft from vehicles, and theft under $5,000, a lot of which were related to catalytic converter thefts,” Marsden said.
In business-related crimes, shoplifting topped the list of crimes, with 251 reported incidents in the three-month period – but part of that was because the RCMP was cracking down.
“We think we probably drove up the shoplifting files because we ran a project,” said Marsden. When police direct their attention on a specific type of crime, the number of charges and investigations often rises.
The crackdown, one that was undertaken in a number of Lower Mainland jurisdictions, was aimed at shoplifters in the Willowbrook business area.
Marsden’s slides indicated that 51 per cent of all the shoplifting files were generated in one of three areas – the Real Canadian Superstore on Willowbrook Drive, which had 81 files alone, another 24 incidents at the Willowbrook Shopping Centre, and 24 in the big box complex off 66th Avenue that includes the London Drugs, Walmart, and the Best Buy.
Business-related crimes include:
• 251 shoplifting complaints
• 241 false alarms
• 190 cause disturbance
• 164 municipal bylaw
• 128 Unspecified assistance
• 117 Suspicious occurrence
• 86 business break and enters
• 79 frauds
• 64 other thefts under $5,000
• 327 miscellaneous files in a number of categories
Of the 1,647 business-related files, 768 were in Langley City, and 999 were in Langley Township.
Marsden also highlighted the violent crimes and crimes against persons reported during the three-month period:
• 246 assaults
• 28 extortion
• 90 harassment
• 38 robbery
• 66 sex offences
• 109 uttering threats
• 60 weapons offences
• 4 kidnappings
There were 641 crimes against persons from July to September, 216 in Langley City and 425 in the Township.
Mayor Eric Woodward highlighted the significant number of crimes taking place in the City compared to the Township.
The Township is in the process of separating the single RCMP detachment that serves both Langleys into two detachments, one for each community.
The rationale is that there are far more calls for police service per capita in the City than in the Township, so the Township is shouldering part of the financial burden of policing the much-smaller City.
Woodward asked Marsden if response levels by RCMP in the Township would go up with two separate detachments.
“I think that’s fair to say, that you’d have more attendance,” said Marsden.