MOOSE JAW — Year-end police statistics for 2024 show there were declines in crimes against people and property compared to 2023, although service calls increased and exceeded 20,000 for the first time.
The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) presented the December 2024 crime statistics during the January Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting, along with an updated report for November that corrected inaccuracies in that report.
Crimes against people
The data for crimes against people in 2024 showed there were 568 total incidents compared to 600 episodes the year before, resulting in a decrease of 5.3 per cent. The only category that increased was sexual assaults, with 62 reported incidents last year versus 46 in 2023, an increase of 34.8 per cent.
Total data for 2024 versus 2023 showed:
- Homicide: 0 / 0
- Attempted murder: 2 / 0
- Assaults (sexual, common, with a weapon, aggravated, against police): 363 / 422
- Robbery: 10 / 10
Crimes against property
The data for crimes against property in 2024 showed there were 1,736 total incidents compared to 2,263 episodes the year before, resulting in a decrease of 23.3 per cent, the report said.
Total data for 2024 versus 2023 showed:
- Break-ins (business, residence, other): 192 / 254
- Motor vehicle theft: 52 / 55
- Theft over $5,000: 18 / 40
- Theft under $5,000: 812 / 1,074
- Arson: 1 / 3
- Mischief under $5,000: 254 / 370
Other incidents
Data for other incidents last year versus 2023 showed:
- Impaired driving: 91 / 106
- Failing to comply with court orders: 845 / 467
- Threats: 24 / 55
- Domestic disputes: 50 /66
- Provincial liquor infractions: 144 / 160
- Vehicle accidents over $1,000: 281 / 216
- Drugs (cocaine, marijuana, meth, other): 7 / 9
Also, the police had 20,519 calls for service last year compared to 19,813 in 2023, an overall increase of 3.6 per cent.
Police comments
“I am cautiously optimistic that this is a good news story (with the year-end data),” Deputy Chief Rick Johns said during the meeting. “Of course, these statistics will be gone over with a fine-tooth comb, and we will be auditing those prior to sending them to Stats Canada.”
The increase in service calls is because officers responded to more episodes of “social-disorder issues” than crime during their daily activities, the acting police chief added. However, what’s positive is the MJPS has the highest clearance rate in Saskatchewan for resolving issues.
Asked why crimes against people and property had declined and whether poor weather — such as winter — kept criminals home, Johns replied that once the agency had audited the data, its analysts would comprehensively investigate to understand better the reasons.
The deputy chief noted that the MJPS has given its members more resources to target troublesome areas like the downtown, with programs such as the anti-trespassing initiative, the shopping-car recovery program, increased beat patrols, a more visible presence and the criminal investigation section targeting identified criminal trends.
“It’s multifaceted as to why those decreases are occurring. It’s probably not just one thing we can put our finger on,” said Johns. “And that will take some further research.”
Johns acknowledged that, historically, winter weather contributed to decreases in crime and increases in vehicle collisions. Meanwhile, other issues also arise during major cold spells, such as homeless people using the police station to stay warm.
The deputy chief added that the recent Christmas vehicle checkstops resulted in officers charging very few motorists with impaired or distracted driving, while — thanks to SGI — members distributed Tim Hortons gift cards to people driving safely.
The next police board meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the police station.
