Increased traffic on Delta roads meant collisions continue to surge from July through September of this year, according to the latest quarterly statistics released by the Delta Police Department.
Collisions were up eight per cent overall compared to the three-year trend, with police reporting 305 last quarter compared to 273 in Q2.
“Our analysis shows that the north end of North Delta is experiencing a slightly higher number of collisions, with the spike happening during the afternoon rush hour,” Deputy Chief Harj Sidhu, who heads operations for the Delta Police Department, said in a press release.
Persons crimes (sometimes known as violent crimes) have decreased slightly, with 179 offences in the third quarter of the year compared to 197 in Q2 of 2021 and 182 in Q3 of 2020. (As a category, violent crime includes offences such as assault or robbery, while the broader category of persons crime also includes things like harassment files.)
“Overall year to date in 2021, we are seeing a slight increase over the previous year in persons offences,” Sidhu said. “Assaults are down year to date — these primarily involve assaults occurring between intimate partners or family members, which are calls we take very seriously. In September, our officers submitted charges in nearly two-thirds of the domestic assault files.”
Traffic violations decreased in the third quarter of 2021, with 1,619 tickets handed out compared to 2,179 in the third quarter of 2020, with officers focusing their efforts on high-priority issues such as impaired driving. A DPD press release notes violation tickets are only one component of the department’s traffic safety strategy, which also includes driver education through presence and visibility, social media campaigns, etc.
Commercial break-and-enters stayed relatively stable in Q3, with 31 incidents compared to 33 in Q2 and 29 in Q3 of 2020. Residential break-and-enters, meanwhile, have seen a slow increase in the third quarter — 39 incidents compared to 32 in Q2 — though that’s slightly lower than the 41 incidents in Q3 of 2020.
Thefts from vehicles (including thefts of catalytic converters) were down in the third quarter of the year, with 187 incidents reported to police, compared to 205 in Q2. Thefts from vehicles were also down 11 per cent compared to the same time last year.
“Thefts from vehicles often goes in cycles or waves,” Sidhu explained. “We try and alert residents whenever we notice a trend in any one area, through a combination of social media, sign boards or even alerts door-to-door when needed.
“However, the best advice I can give is to never leave anything of value in your vehicle, and to report any suspicious activity. We’d love for to Delta develop a reputation for being a poor hunting ground for this type of property crime.”
Updated current crime trends can be seen at deltapolice.ca/stats/#crimemap.
