The EPS held there police board meeting last night and while there was nothing extraordinary there were a few items of note. 

The police noted that there was a slight decrease in property crimes in February over the same time last year while they didn't have exact numbers they did note a 100% increase in break and enters for residences and a 300% increase in break and enters for businesses but overall property crimes decreased by 33% for the month. Police attribute the increase in break and enters to the economic downturn.

The board also touched on the fact that impaired driving charges are down. they charged 7 people in February of this year while over the same time last year there was a total of 18 charges, that is a current reduction of 46%. The police attribute this reduction to the increase in advertising done along with help from MADD which has been attending roadside check stops and has been talking about the consequences of impaired driving. 

There was some concern from the public about the number of officers used at check stops. The board clarified that check stops done in the city are done in partnership with SGI and all expenses incurred, including salaries for the duration of the check stops is covered by SGI.

Something that was not touched on at the meeting was the amount of drug-related arrests this had a dramatic drop of 94% compared to last year. In fact, there were zero arrests made in February of this year related to any drug offenses. 

When it comes to bylaw infractions in the city there has been a significant increase in animal-related calls. Over February there were a large number of stray cats reported but unfortunately with the extreme cold temperatures there was not much that could be done, the cats would have to be trapped in a humane way and any animals trapped in February would not last long so the decision was made to hold off until the temperatures had risen.

Another bylaw issue that has raised concerns is the amount of people parking overnight and all day on 4th street. There is only 2-hour parking on 4th and vehicles left all day are causing issues for businesses. a person may park on 4th for longer than 2 hours after 10 pm, however, the vehicle must be moved by 8 am the next morning. The Police have noted the issues and have stepped up enforcement.

All in all the total calls for service in February 2018 were the exact same as February 2019  with a total of 566 calls made in the month with a slight decrease in overall crime statistics of 4%.