The vice chairman of Wellington County’s police services board said he doesn’t know why crime is up in comparison to the same time last year.
“I don’t know why they are so high,” councillor Ray Tout told county councillors, referring to statistics released in Wellington OPP Inspector Scott Lawson’s latest report to council on Feb. 28.
The report contained statistics for crimes in January 2012 and 2013 and showed break-ins, sexual assaults, domestic disputes and thefts are all up.
According to statistics released by Lawson, there were four sexual assaults in January compared to one in the same period last year. Break-ins climbed to 28 this year from nine last January and thefts were up to 69 from 56 last year. Domestic disputes were also up, at 36 compared to 27 last January.
Auto thefts declined to three from eight for the period and assaults dropped to 18 from 25.
The OPP handled 24 fraud investigations compared to 16 last January and drug investigation this January stood at 34 compared to 10 last January.
The report also shows drinking and driving offences and charges are up.
In January this year, OPP stopped 7,524 vehicles compared to 6,669 last January and conducted 117 roadside breath tests compared to 32 in January last year. Twenty-two warning suspensions were handed out in January compared to eight in last year and 15 people were charged compared to 12 last year.
Part of the rise in statistics regarding vehicles on the road can be attributed to a special RIDE team in place during the festive season that ran until early January.
Police are hoping motor vehicle collisions will continue to remain level or drop. The OPP reported 176 accidents in January with 32 injuries reported. In 2012 there was a total of 1,872 accidents, compared to 1,911 in year before.
There were 30 reported car-deer collisions in the county this January.
