CRIME FALLS IN CITY
Motorists ignore safety signs
Crime continues to decline in Saskatoon, but there’s one statistic city police can’t seem to steer downward.
Traffic collisions are on the rise, according to a summary of crime statistics for 2013.
“We do have a problem with drivers in Saskatoon,” police Chief Clive Weighill said.
“We got eight more traffic officers two years ago to improve enforcement, but some people still don’t want to stop for pedestrians or stop for amber lights or red lights. They’re speeding. We’re still having a real problem.” The police service’s sixm on th summary of crime statistics in Saskatoon shows a decline in 2013 across most categories, including vio lent crimes and property crimes, which continues a multi-year trend.
However, traffic collisions were up 10 per cent during the first six months of 2013. Police reported 3,845 vehicle incidents over that period, compared to 3,480 over the same period last year.
Weighill said the spike can be attributed to “more cars, more people, more collisions,” but the problem of inattentive and dangerous drivers runs deeper than simple math. Police run traffic blitzes throughout the year, but the safety message hasn’t sunk in, he added.
“We can have a couple of people stabbed over the weekend and people are concerned about the violence, and yet we can have 10 people go to the hospital from collisions and no one thinks anything of it,” Weighill said. “Collisions aren’t accidents. There are reasons why these happen ... There is construction and longer commutes when people are used to getting across the city in 10 to 15 minutes. They’re trying to make up lost time and they’re speeding or trying to jump a light.”
Compared to the first six months of 2012, crimes against the person — such as attempted murder, assaults and robbery — are down 6.5 per cent this year, to 1,858 incidents from 1,988. Property crimes, such as break and enters, vehicle thefts and graffiti, are down 15.3 per cent.
“These are not rates. These are actual numbers,” Weighill said. “We have a growing city and a larger population and the actual number of crimes is going down ... We’re down about 35 per cent over the last seven or eight years.”
In 2003, Saskatoon police recorded 34,110 Criminal Code violations compared to 22,000 violations in 2012. Trends are similar across the province, Weighill added.
The decline could be a result of more officers on the street and the partnerships — such as the Crime Free Multi-housing program that works with landlords — established with community groups and agencies to target certain crimes or social problems, Weighill said. A growing economy means more jobs and fewer people looking for an easy solution to money woes, he added.
“The downside to the economic growth is that it does make for a more lucrative drug trade,” Weighill said. “There’s a good market here now because there’s money. People will follow the money.”
Prostitution-related charges are up 78 per cent so far this year compared to the first six months of 2012. The increase is due to the vice unit staging more stings aimed at street prostitution, Weighill said.