Third quarter Battleford crime down from last year's third quarter

A report by Battlefords RCMP Inspector John Sutherland presented at Battleford town council on Monday showed a general decrease in crime this July to September, compared with July to September last year.

This year’s third quarter total calls for service was 834, whereas last year’s was 984.

Property offences decreased from 109 to 94, as did provincial traffic offenses (23 to 12).

Third quarter increases this year compared to last year include criminal code offences (24 to 39), and drug offences (1 to 6) and impaired driving charges (3 to 6).

Year-to-date changes include property offences (308 to 217), and provincial traffic offences (105 to 66).

Sutherland said vehicle theft remains a concern, with many cases being due to keys inside unlocked vehicles.