For the Jan. 1 to March 31 quarter, the Comox Valley RCMP had an 11 per cent decrease in calls for service in Courtenay, relative to the previous quarter from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. There was also a 22 per cent decrease in traffic files, a 55 per cent decrease in break and enter files, and a 10 per cent decrease in theft from vehicles.
However, there was a 33 per cent increase in assault files in the city, 19 more domestic violence files and one more sex offence file, compared to last quarter. Over the past three years, sex offences have increased from 81 files in 2019 to 92 in 2020 and 110 in 2021. Insp. Mike Kurvers is not sure why this is the case.
“It’s all a matter of the call volume and the type of calls we receive,” he said in an April 25 presentation to Courtenay council.
Drug trafficking has decreased from 71 files in 2019 to 57 in 2020 and 26 in 2021. Kurvers said the drop could be attributed to the pandemic and to certain individuals being incarcerated.
Coun. Doug Hillian asked if the number of reported incidents in certain neighbourhoods could be related to the closure of the Connect Warming Centre, and the warming centre at the Salvation Army Church on Fitzgerald.
“There was a bit of a spike when Connect shut down,” Kurvers said. “We were trying to respond to that as best we could with the bike unit and front-line policing.”
Officers, he added, are constantly attending the area around the railway tracks between 5th Street and Cumberland Road.
Kurvers reminds the public about an option to report offences online.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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