COVID - 19 Restrictions Changed The Nature Of Crimes Reported - Commissioners Told

The COVID - 19 pandemic has effected much of the social structure in the city and now the latest stats show it has even had a major effect on the types of crimes the Moose Jaw Police Services (MJPS) has had to respond to.

At their monthly meeting the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners were told the pandemic or rather the public health orders and restrictions enacted has impacted the types of crimes the MJPS has had to investigate.

Chief Rick Bourassa during the discussion - MJ Independent photo

Crimes against people (assaults) were up during the pandemic restrictions while reported residential break and enters dropped because the restrictions meant people were more often home.

“What we did see and what we expected during the pandemic and the early times of that those numbers of reported crimes against a person have (gone up) over this year,” Chief Rick Bourassa told the Board Of Police Commissioners.

The actual numbers were not made available to the media at the meeting.

“Where we have seen an increase is when we go to crimes against property we have had a significant increase this year over last year 2020 and 2021 year to date in residential break and enters,” Chief Bourassa said.

Local stats show there were 59 residential break-ins reported in 2020 while so far to date there have been 127 residential break-ins reported. In 2019, pre-pandemic, there were 91 residential break-ins reported.

The Police Commission was told the rise in the number of residential break-ins in 2021 is directly tied to the relaxation of COVID - 19 health measures compared to 2020.

“If you look back to last year during the crux of the pandemic we had the public health orders limiting people’s activity in terms of going out people had to stay home at a much, much greater level than we are currently experiencing right now,” Superintendent Devon Oleniuk said, adding “criminals don’t break into people’s homes when they are at home.”

“When we go back to 2020 obviously a lot more people were home than we are experiencing now. People are out and about (in 2021),” Superintendent Oleniuk said.

Chief Bourassa said additionally there was an increase in the prevalence of narcotics - most notably Crystal Meth - in the community at the same time the numbers of reported residential break-ins was rising.

The Police Commissioners were told the rise in property crimes was tied to an increase in drug use and drug prevalence in the community. The unfortunate nature of addictions is a lot of times the addicts will resort to property crime to as sort of feed their addictions.

“The increased prevalence of Methamphetamine and other drugs at the same time we have house break-ins and those sort of things rising,” he said.

Chief Bourassa said the police did not want to diminish the impact residential break and enters have on victims by stating the year prior to the pandemic there were a large number of reported residential break and enters.

“That is not to say these are not bad and they are troublesome for people and we investigate, we lay charges when we can when there is evidence,” he said.