The North Bay Police are hoping that some positive crime statistics are not just decreasing due to the pandemic.
In the months of June and July, the North Bay Police saw a significant drop in assaults (10 in 2020 and 34 in 2019), Break and Enters & Thefts (2 in 2020, and 50 in 2019), stolen vehicles (2 in 2020, 9 in 2019), and theft under (16 in 2020, and 162 in 2019).
"A lot of the areas we report on we did see a decrease," said Mike Daze, Deputy Police Chief following the Police Board's monthly meeting which took place at Police Headquarters on Tuesday.
"Whether that is related to COVID-19 we are not sure but there were greater restrictions to COVID-19 before June but we did see a drop in some areas, 30, 50, 70 per cent in some of our crime statistics which is really positive to see.
"We still see an increase in our calls for service but when we see some of those crime rates dropping that is a positive sign,"
Daze hopes that a couple of renewed programs like the foot and bike patrols made an impact on those numbers.
"We revamped the bike patrol program and it was a great success and the foot patrol and really getting our officers back out visible, engaged and back in the community which helps us collect information on crimes, helps us to be a little more present for some of those crimes. So as we look at the stats going forward we see if we will continue to see these positive trends happening," he said.
Daze says the Service is not worried that crime numbers will rise as the winter months approach and programs like the Bike Patrol ending due to the weather.
"It is not really a subtraction of the programs, I think we have to look and say, 'how do we deliver that community engagement piece,' through the winter months so there are still times we can engage in foot patrols, there are times where we are able to park our vehicles and get out and be proactive and engage," said Daze.
He says the key is trying to find other ways for the Police Service to continue those positive statistical trends as we head into the winter months.
