Year-end figures show major violent crimes down in Vancouver
Credit to Author: Postmedia News| Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2020 23:49:54 +0000
While major violent crimes have gone down, the number of assaults — including those against police officers — and property crimes have increased in Vancouver, according to the latest statistics.
On Wednesday, the Vancouver Police Department released its year-end crime stats for 2019.
While violent crimes such as homicides, sex offences and bank robberies have gone down, the overall violent crime rate increased by 7.2 per cent in 2019. The increase is due to an 11.2-per-cent spike in assaults, which made up more than 78 per cent of all violent crimes last year.
There was also a 39.5-per-cent increase in assaults against peace officers.
However, the overall violent crime rate for 2019 is still well below the rate 10 years ago.
Four people were reportedly stabbed in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood on Dec. 8, 2019. Vancouver police report a drop in violent crimes but a surge in assaults last year.
According to the VPD, there were 4,521 incidents of assault last year, up from 4,064 in 2018. Shots-fired incidents also increased with 29 incidents reported last year, 10 more than in 2018.
There were 10 homicides reported in Vancouver last year, the lowest figure in five years, down from 15 in 2018, 19 in 2017, 12 in 2016 and 16 in 2015. Bank robberies were also at the lowest rate in a decade.
Property crime, however, increased by 5.2 per cent, with incidents of theft from vehicles increasing nearly 13 per cent. It’s the ninth year in a row that the rate of theft from vehicles has gone up.
The figures also showed an uptick in break-ins at businesses, though the 21-per-cent increase is largely propelled by break and enters in underground parkades and storage rooms at businesses.