Crime Stats continue to fall in Williams Lake

Editor's Note - it seems Mayor Cook and her Staff are getting touchy whenever any media (local, provincial or national) talks about the 2011 MoneySense Poll and the category of worse community for crime as being #1 in their (MoneySense) poll.  Also - would it kill the City to acknowledge the fact that it was the hard work of former City Councillor Ed Mead as to the primary reason why crime stats continue in a downward trend

It is said - there are facts and then there is perception.  You be the judge - has crime generally or the perception thereof, come down since Kerry Cook and the 6 City Councillors were sworn in December of 2008?

From the City of Williams Lake:

In response to a Global BC story yesterday concerning the MoneySense.ca rankings of Canadian cities and Williams Lake’s crime rate, the City would like to remind residents and the media that crime in the city has dropped in every quarter for more than a year, with property crime seeing the most dramatic reductions.

The Global BC story mentioned that Williams Lake was “the worst (Canadian) city for crime,” in the MoneySense.ca rankings, but offered no further information or context. This does not paint a fair or accurate reflection of crime in Williams Lake.

Williams Lake’s dramatic reduction in crime was outlined in a front page story in the Vancouver Province on Jan. 23, 2011. At that time, statistics showed that in 2010, there was an average decrease of thefts of vehicles of 34 per cent since 2009, a five per cent decrease in mischief complaints, and a 36 per cent drop in robberies in the city. Compared to 2008, those decreases are 71 per cent, 34 per cent, and six per cent, respectively. There was also a 40 per cent decrease in break and enters in 2010 compared to 2008.

A comparison of the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2011shows that that trend continues:

Stolen vehicles (cars/ trucks combined) - from 55 to 5, a drop of 91%
Break and Enters (residential and business) - from 65 to 19, a drop of 71%
Mischief (Graffiti, broken windows, damage to cars)- from 157 to 78, a drop of 50%
Robbery - from 7 to 4, a drop of 43%
Calls for Service - from 2,553 to 1,719, a drop of 33%

2008 is an appropriate benchmark, as crime statistics for that year were reflective of crime rates for the prior 10 years.

“We have had some great successes, but we are not out of the woods yet,” says Williams Lake RCMP Detachment Commander Staff Sgt. Warren Brown. “We continue to work closely with the City, our volunteers, and our community partners to reduce crime even further.”

“We’ve heard repeatedly that Williams Lake is a crime capital, and while that may have been true three years ago, it’s not true now,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “We have taken steps such as adding support to the RCMP detachment, engaging First Nations partners, and adding or modifying bylaws to help fight crime, and the numbers speak for themselves – the community is coming together to say enough is enough. We are taking our city back.”

“Williams Lake is a spectacular place to live, to work, to raise a family, and to visit. This crime capital label no longer fits, and should not be what distinguishes Williams Lake. We invite everyone to pay us a visit so we can showcase the quality of life our city has to offer.”

Staff Sgt. Brown will present the complete first quarter crime statistics at the Tuesday, April 19 Regular Council Meeting.