Coquitlam RCMP crime stats for 2017 show a drop in calls for service from the previous two years but police say more of the calls are urgent and require more policing resources, and some of the decrease can be attributed to how calls are filed now.
And some people may not be reporting crimes out of fear, embarrassment or complacency, or due to their cultural background, police say.
“It’s great the numbers are down but we need to be very cautious whether these calls are reflecting what’s happening in criminal activity,” Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told The Tri-City News.
The RCMP’s communications spokesperson was responding to questions about the local detachment’s most recent community year in review, which reported 41,083 calls for service, down from 43,094 in 2016 and 44,308 in 2015 — a 7% decline over the three years.
Fewer calls don’t square with an increasing population in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, which the local Mounties serve, but McLaughlin said some of the difference can be explained by changes in filing procedures because not every call gets its own file and the number doesn’t include foot patrols, which are categorized in a single file, fraud without money loss, calls referred to other jurisdictions or government bodies, or when a single individual causes multiple offences of mischief.
“As we get more efficient and streamlined, it doesn’t equate to the same numbers,” McLaughlin explained.
As well, more targeted policing could be helping to reduce crime, McLaughlin said while noting 43% of the calls for service in 2017 were urgent or required an immediate response, up from 40% in 2016.
“That’s 1,200 additional calls,” McLaughlin said. “It is another cautionary note."
Still, McLaughlin has concerns that a number of crimes are under-reported, such as frauds where people do lose money or romance fraud, because victims are too embarrassed to come forth, as well as domestic violence and sexual assaults.
In other cases, people may get used to crime and don’t report something they think is too small to call in, such as theft from a vehicle, while some newcomers to Canada can be reluctant to call police.
“We have our work cut out on that,” said McLaughlin, who said the RCMP is working with SUCCESS and other agencies that work with newcomers to build understanding and trust while a number of Coquitlam RCMP members speak a second language, an obvious advantage in a multicultural community.
But communication with the public and education continues to be a top priority for the local force, he said.
“When in doubt, call police. If you’re not sure, we can always sort it out for you and we don’t want people to worry about whether it’s serious or not. Just call us. We don’t want people to under-report because when we talk about our crime-reduction strategy, it is really dependent on our public reporting to us.”
Another problem area is false and abandoned 911 calls, which rank second among the top five calls for service. Almost 2,600 of these calls were made last year — that's an average of about seven a day. Many are caused by pocket dialing a programed number in a cell phone but, occasionally, people in distress or violent situations may be in real trouble.
“As soon as we hear any kind of disturbance, we make that a priority call. That’s precisely why false and abandoned 911 calls are so serious. It could be robbery, someone will dial 911 and put the phone aside,” McLaughlin said, noting that police have to respond to these instances in case they are an emergency.
But when they are not, important police resources are needlessly used.
“We are still focusing on education, it is having some impact, we’d like to get that number down further.”
Even if you accidentally dial 911, you should stay on the line to let the call taker know you’re safe. If you hang up, the call taker has to call you back to make sure you’re OK. If the operator can’t reach you, a police officer is dispatched to confirm your well-being.
BY THE NUMBERS
In 2017 in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, the top five calls for service to Coquitlam RCMP were:
1. suspicious person/vehicle occurrence
2. false/abandoned 911
3. unspecified assistance
4. cause a disturbance
5. traffic
