One of the most serious crime categories, impaired driving, saw some ups and downs on last year's local roads.
Within the municipality of Prince George, police laid 238 charges in 2010, compared to 252 in 2009, or a six per cent drop.
This was the first year the new provincial regulations took effect. The impairment level rules stayed the same for determining legal warnings and charges, but police were given new options, without having to go to court, for penalizing drivers who pass the impairment thresholds.
They came into force in September and it was unclear if four months at the end of the year would have greatly changed the outcome of the annual statistics, but there is no doubt there was some impact, said Prince George RCMP Supt. Brenda Butterworth-Carr.
"I think it is a combination of both the way the new regulations are coming into effect and the general public getting the message," she said of the downturn. "I think a lot of our local liquor establishments are now providing shuttle services for people. And people realize that the consequences for impaired driving are a lot more stringent than in the past."
Those looking to draw absolute correlation to the new driving rules would be confused, however, by the statistics derived from the immediate rural area around Prince George, also covered by members of the city's detachment.
The area in question is inside the lines of Hixon, Bear Lake, Bednesti and roughly Dome Creek. That region generated 23 impaired driving charges in 2010, way up over the 10 produced there in 2009.
So why were the numbers down inside P.G. and way up in the surrounding areas? Regional District of Fraser-Fort George Chair Art Kaehn said the data was too fresh and needed further breakdown.
"It could be people just passing through. It could be Prince George people found impaired driving on regional district roads," said Kaehn. "I don't know from this where the people are originating. It is the first year we have had a look at the rural region as a breakout set of statistics, so it needs to be looked at more closely, and I think the important thing to keep in front is that impaired driving is not acceptable."
Butterworth-Carr said the jump could be easily explained by a couple of extra days of fun in the sun one summer over next. Some people apply the fun to the wrong behaviour, she said, and Mounties were hunting for that.
"If people come together at a lake or provincial park, there is sometimes extra enforcement coverage on that," she said. "And it is is a significant area we are talking about, so one or two focused approaches will create an increase."
