Property crime is down in the Sidney/North Saanich area, according to RCMP numbers.
Property crime numbers dropped two per cent through the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. Still, property crime remains well below the five-year average of 106 offences. Property crimes accounted for 85 per cent of total criminal code violations during the first six months of 2019, followed by violent crimes and other crimes.
RELATED: Sidney records highest number of property crimes in six years
Violent crimes dropped 42 per cent during the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period last year.
Overall, the number of criminal code violations dropped 22 per cent compared to the same period 2018.
Looking at traffic safety, the figures show a total of 45 collisions during the first six months, a drop of 17 per cent compared to 2018.
RELATED: Sidney downtown merchants concerned about rising crime rate
Relative to Sidney and other jurisdictions, North Saanich accounted for 36 per cent of police calls during the second quarter. Sidney, for the record, accounted for 47 per cent of calls.
The report, while a snapshot, is broadly consistent with other measures that show North Saanich, as well as the rest of the Saanich Peninsula is among the safest regions in Canada.
Figures released last month show Central Saanich’s crime severity index (CSI) stands at 33.27 per cent, while Sidney/North Saanich recorded a CSI of 66.98 per cent.
The CSI is a police-reported measure of crime that measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada, with an index value of 100. In 2018, the national CSI was 75 — up for the fourth straight year.
nick.murray@peninsulanewsreview.com
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