Attempted break-and-enters, thefts from vehicles, and robberies are trending upward in the Sault, according to the most recent year-to-date statistics from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service.
From January to November of 2020, there were significant increases in robberies (39 per cent), attempted break-and-enters (42.9 per cent), theft from motor vehicles (64 per cent), and break-and-enters to businesses (18.2 per cent) when compared to the same 11-month period in 2019.
But Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Chief Hugh Stevenson points out that those same year-to-date stats for the 11-month period show a jump of just 4.2 per cent in total break-and-enters from 2019 to 2020.
“The month-to-month comparative was high, but when you look at the total cumulatively - January to November of both [years] - we were actually in the four per cent range, which is almost equal when you’re dealing with that many occurrences,” he told SooToday Thursday. “But let me say one thing: We never, in policing, ever accept that any number of break-and-enters and thefts are okay."
"It’s all about investigating, finding the person, bringing them before the justice system.”
The police chief says the police service is also getting the message out using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) techniques to educate the public on crime prevention techniques through education, and that the Sault Police is “pushing this as a proactive approach” for both homeowners and businesses. Many of these techniques can be found, Stevenson says, on the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service website.
“We can’t have meetings, but certainly, the web approach is the most significant right now during COVID,” he said.
To paraphrase the police chief, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating societal ills already present in the city, such as mental health. addiction and crime.
“I’ve been relatively consistent in making the argument that COVID has increased the anxiety level in all classes of people, in all communities across North America, and maybe, the world,” said Stevenson. “And when you add the anxiety associated to COVID and lockdown orders and restriction on mobility, when you add all of that with the generalized fear of, ‘I don’t want to get COVID’ - and you add that to a vulnerable population, I think it increases their world of concern significantly.”
As noted in a previous article surrounding the police service’s use-of-force report for last year, Stevenson tells SooToday that it all boils down to getting people living with mental health and addictions issues the treatment they need.
“I still say every person that gets impacted by long-term drug usage has a mom and dad, brother or sister, has a grandparent, has a school teacher, has friends that can honestly help them,” he said. “I think honestly, it’s not just a police issue...this is a community issue.”