Spike in robberies ‘alarming’

An increase in the number of robberies reported to Saskatoon police last year compared to 2017 is noted as a concerning trend in the police department’s annual report.

The recently released report noted an overall increase in robberies but a decrease in armed robberies.

Overall in 2018, violent crimes declined slightly — 0.9 per cent — from 2017, with 3,456 violent crimes reported to police. Assaults were the most common type, accounting for nearly 60 per cent.

Robberies are defined as thefts in which something is taken by force or threat of force.

A lot of the incidents behind the increase are street-level or low-level robberies, said Staff Sgt. Matthew Ward of the general investigative section, which oversees investigations of robberies and significant property crimes.

Many of these incidents can involve forcible thefts of bikes or cellphones, he said.

“The percentage increase is alarming and something that we’re very on top of. Unfortunately with some of the street-type robberies, quite often they can be much more difficult to investigate and prosecute down the road with a lack of video evidence and forensic evidence.”

Police expect to see similar overall numbers of robberies in 2019, but not a similar percentage increase.

As of the end of September, 146 robberies had been reported to police in 2019, according to the service’s month-end crime statistics. Last year, 145 were reported; 123 were reported in 2017.

Armed robberies fell to 179 in 2018 from 250 in 2017, police said.