P.G. Superintendent Says Crime Numbers Out Dated

Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:54 AM

Prince George, B.C. – RCMP Superintendent Dahl Chambers says he is not surprised by the numbers printed in the Maclean’s magazine which peg Prince George as the number 4 crime city in the country, (see previous story) “The numbers are nearly 2 years old so they are not as current as I would like them to be” says Chambers, “I am not trying to minimize the situation, but in Prince George, we know much of the crime is drug related, and that a small percentage of criminals are responsible, that is why we are after prolific offenders in our crime reduction plan.”

Chambers says if a detachment accurately reports its stats, (which the Prince George detachment does) then one person going on a break and enter spree can skew the numbers. Chambers say in some cases those repeat offenders have “20, 30, 40 convictions” but some how end up back on the streets.

“What is significant is that we have seen a 17% reduction in break and enters in the past year, and that would have a major impact on the rankings.”

Chambers says having a crime analyst on staff is making a difference as it helps to track crime trends faster. “This is a busy city, and we’re trying to combat crime by targeting specific individuals who are responsible for the majority of crime., I am hopeful that next year, the scenario will be much improved.”

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Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:54 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: owl on March 13 2008 12:10 PM

Crime based on property crimes ....

If we had no property of any value, there would be less property crime .....

people, don't fill your cacoons with too much property.

BTW, it is likely also a reflection of the number of single family detached residences we have. On the assumoption that the average high rise condo is better protected against break and enter and removal of goods, then a community with 30% of such dwelling units rather than 5% is likely to have less break and enters.

Just a theory. Needs some more detailed stats to see whether that makes sense or not.

Posted by: giterdun on March 13 2008 12:20 PM

20-30-40 convictions...Hmmmm- Maybe we should report on the judges conviction records. Seems to me that judges are our enemys not the sh t heads. I do believe that the RCMP are doing their best but they do not have any help from the court system.

Posted by: Death to Socialism on March 13 2008 12:36 PM

We're #1, we're #1!

Posted by: getajob on March 13 2008 12:54 PM

Regarding RCMP Superintendent Dahl Chambers comment on 2006 crime stats.

I also made note of the 2006 stats. So given the fact that a new club moved into Prince George and the huge job losses in and around the city, it raises this question. Are those stats reflective as of today�s changes? Could this not indicate that we may rank number 3 instead of number 4?
Make no mistake, the department�s efforts of its staff and members are greatly appreciated and the work load is unimaginable by most citizens.
Just an idea to ponder.
We have the crime stoppers line, however, why not have a site where the general public can report either suspicious activities or solid information on criminal activity?
Can we make a web page that is in template form that asks straight forward questions? I think this will help us better track the criminal activities and may help with evidence leading to quicker convictions. Also have a real time � Chat line� that can be used in private to log actual criminal observations�.
The More documented observations� that we conduct, the better we can hone in on this growing problem. An end result should better safe guard our citizens thus giving Prince George a better reputation in the future.
Let�s be pro-active not reactive.
The old 5 W�s
What
Who
Where
When
Why
Cheers.

Posted by: Don Mackenzie on March 13 2008 12:59 PM

The numbers are alot higher!!!!!! Most People do not report Crime anymore. Why call the police, they do not come... Or your Insurance company..They will raise your rates. Most people suck it up buy new stuff. We all know the SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK...

Posted by: The_grandinquisitor on March 13 2008 1:00 PM

I think he's trying to pull the wool over our eyes. What ever happened to that internal investigation he was the subject of? Something about someone getting fired and someone else stepping in to fill the spot?

Posted by: Eagleone on March 13 2008 1:05 PM

If you took out the downtown area East of the bi-pass from the survey, then I bet we would be in the top 10% across Canada for the lowest level of crime in all categories. I'd even venture to say if you simply were able to eliminate the VLA crime we would rate significantly better.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on March 13 2008 2:07 PM

I do think the police tend to downplay the actual numbers,which are probably not that all accurate anyway.
High crime numbers are a reflection on how well they are doing in the fight against the bad guys.
So, how well are they doing in PG?
Ask the judges!

Posted by: Raparee on March 13 2008 4:35 PM

getajob:
Here's a Community Policing program that you may be interested in to help get those 'increased observances'.

http://www.communitypolicing.princegeorge.ca/programs.html#

Posted by: NMG on March 13 2008 5:57 PM

"I am not trying to minimize the situation, but in Prince George, we know much of the crime is drug related, and that a small percentage of criminals are responsible"

If it's such a small percentage (i.e. small group of people), shouldn't it be easy to identify, target and bust them? Oh and usually when someone says "I'm not trying to minimize the situation BUT", they are trying to minimize the situation, LOL :)

Posted by: seamutt on March 13 2008 8:29 PM

For anyone reading this and likes to toke up thinking its harmless, don't complain about the crime rate. You are part of the problem!!!!!!!