Hope RCMP is crediting statistical analysis for helping curb recent crime trends in the area.
Data is reviewed on a daily basis by an analyst in Chilliwack and information is provided to local officers on duty regarding when and where criminals are targeting. In the past, Silver Creek has been a hot spot for property crime and the RCMP allocated resources accordingly to concentrate on the area. The latest trend appeared on Wallace Street last week, where two businesses had their front windows smashed and items were stolen from one of them.
“In a town like this, that’s unnerving because it happens in a short time frame and likely is the same culprit,” said Staff Sgt. Suki Manj.
Officers focused patrols in the Wallace Street area following the reports and conducted street checks on people who were out in the late morning hours “that really had no reason to be.” Manj said some of the individuals had already been identified as prolific offenders. Through the street checks, police believe they now know who may have been responsible for last week’s vandalism and theft. There have been no further incidents since.
“With the amount of resources any business has, you have to always be looking for the best ways and the most efficient ways to use them,” said Manj. “We use statistics to help direct where our resources are needed. Sometimes, it’s unfortunate, there are times our officers are tied up with calls that take them away from doing proactive policing.”