Prince George RCMP saw a slight decrease in the number of files it handled in 2024, but almost a 25 per cent increase in prisoners during the same period, according to a presentation that will be given at the next city council meeting.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, officer-in-charge Supt. Darin Rappel is set to provide council with a presentation going over what local Mounties did in 2024.
A copy of Rappel’s presentation slides has been uploaded with the agenda for the meeting, providing an early look at some of the statistics he’ll be discussing.
When it comes to the number of files worked on by local police, the 42,577 handled in 2024 was a five-year low going back to 2020. The RCMP dealt with 44,881 in 2023, 45,465 in 2022, 50,182 in 2021 and 46,927 in 2020.
In contrast, the number of prisoners held by local police reached a five-year high with 3,853 in 2024. Police held 2,950 in 2023, 2,639 in 2022, 2,640 in 2021 and 2,696 in 2020.
The number of charges police forwarded to the Crown for prosecution was second-lowest in the last five years in 2024 with 1,928. They forwarded 1,680 charges in 2023, 1,993 in 2022, 2,068 in 2021 and 2,118 in 2020.
Though specific numbers for the last five years are not shown for offences against people, the number of robberies in 2024 appeared to be third-highest in 2024 for the last five years.
The number of sex offences was second-lowest in that same time frame, the number of aggravated assaults and assaults with a weapon were second-lowest and the number of assaults reached a five-year high.
However, the year-to-year numbers in each of those categories appear to be very close.
Among property offences, mischief to property, thefts, break and enters and vehicle thefts all seem to have hit five-year lows in 2024.
The total number of property crimes hit a five-year low in 2024, while violent crimes against people tied for third-highest, controlled drugs and substances offences were the second-lowest and other criminal code offences were third-highest in that timeframe.
The presentation also contains policing statistics for downtown Prince George. There were 8,048 calls for service from downtown in 2024, the second-highest amount in the last five years.
There were 8,397 downtown calls in 2023, 7,532 in 2022, 7,691 in 2021 and 6,832 in 2020.
The Jan. 13 council meeting starts on the second floor of Prince George City Hall at 6 p.m. Meetings are open for the public to attend and are livestreamed on the city’s website.
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