Percentage-wise Meth Seizures Top List Of Crimes

The growing prevalence of Crystal Methamphetamine, residential break and enters, cannabis and rape are percentage-wise the fastest growing crimes the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) has dealt so far in 2021.

In statistics released at Tuesday afternoon’s monthly meeting of the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners show the number of times the MJPS has been called on by the public to date in 2021 is percentage-wise up slightly increasing by 2.8 percent from 11,732 in 2020 to the end of September 2020 to 12,066 to the end of September 2021.

Percentage-wise the top increasing crimes were possession of Methamphetamine up 238 percent so far in 2021 versus 2020, residential break and enters were up 115 percent year to date versus 2020, cannabis offences are up 100 percent by the end of September 2021 versus September 2020 and the number of sexual assaults is up 80 percent by the end of September versus the numbers reported in the same time frame in 2020. (See chart below)

“We have had some pretty significant increases in Methamphetamine (seizures). We have known for sometime its prevalence is, does appear to be increasing in the community,” Chief Rick Bourassa told the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday afternoon.

“In the past month we had seven seizures of drugs with the total weight of Methamphetamine 7.5 grams which is a pretty significant amount. Fentanyl .3 grams, cocaine 1.5 grams that is just in the past month and of course year to date it accumulates,” Chief Bourassa said.

During the report Chief Bourassa tied the rise in the number of residential break-ins to addictions and opportunity (relaxed COVID - 19 restrictions meaning more people were not at home in 2021 versus 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.”

The MJPS did not address the reasons for the increased numbers of sexual assaults in 2021 year to date versus 2020.

The statistics only report the numbers of incidents and do not provide information on the number of arrests and crimes the MJPS has so far solved in 2021.