New Westminster crime: 'Persons offences' up in NWPD stats

Some crimes in downtown New Westminster are up by as much as 100 per cent over last year while a few have seen a drop.

At each month’s meeting, the police board receives a report from the New Westminster Police Department showing crimes in various categories, including crimes against people, property offences and collision.

At its September meeting, the board also received a report that focused on statistics in the downtown neighbourhood, comparing August 2023 to August 2022. Here’s what the report shows:

Assault – common: 14 incidents in August 2023, up from 11 in August 2022. (The 112 incidents between January and August 2023 is 65 per cent more than the 68 incidents reported during that same timeframe in 2022.)
Assault with a weapon or CBH: six in August 2023, down from eight in August 2022. (The 44 incidents recorded this year is down 19 per cent from 2022)
Assault – aggravated: none in August 2023, down from one in August 2022. (Assaults are up 100 per cent year-to-date, with four incidents reported in 2023, compared to two incidents in 2022)
Robbery: three incidents in August 2023, down from seven in August 2022. (The 31 incidents in 2023 is a 55 per cent increase over the 20 reported in 2022)
Break and Enter – Business: one incident in August 2023, down from six in August 2022. (Year-to-date, the 23 incidents is a 28 per cent decrease from the 32 incidents reported in 2022.)
Break and Enter – Residence: No incidents were reported in August 2023 or 2022. (The 12 incidents reported in 2023 is a 100 per cent increase from the six incidents in 2022.)
Theft from Auto: 12 incidents in August 2023, up from 11 in August 2022. (There has no change in this category, as 84 incidents were reported in the first eight months of 2023 and also in 2022.)
Theft (Other) – over and under $5,000: 22 incidents in August 2023, up from 16 in August 2022. (Year-to-date, there has been a 57 per cent increase from the 88 incidents reported in this neighbourhood in 2022 to the 138 reported in 2023.)
Mischief – over and under $5,000: 18 incidents in August 2023, up from seven in August 2022. (There were 68 incidents reported in the first eight months of 2022, but that rose to 103 in 2023 – a 51 per cent increase.)
Mental health related calls: 13 in August 2023, down from 18 in August 2022. (Year-to-date, calls in this category have dropped two per cent – going from 111 in 2022 to 109 in 2023.)

At the Sept. 12 meeting, the police board also received the citywide statistics from August 2023.

Across New Westminster, there were 487 “persons offences” from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2023 compared to 427 during that same timeframe in 2022 – an increase of 14 per cent. The three-year average for the year 2021, 2022 and 2023 is 451 incidents.

August’s numbers included 35 common assaults, 12 assaults with a weapon or causing bodily harm, four robberies, 16 thefts of vehicle and 43 thefts from vehicle.

August’s numbers show a slight increase in property offences, with 1,384 incidents reported in the first eight months of the year, two per cent more than the 1,355 incidents reported in 2022. This year’s total is well below the 1,476 incidents in 2021.

According to the report, there were 33 incidents of domestic violence and 13 incidents of family violence in August 2023, bringing the year-to-date total in those categories to 349 and 167, respectively.

The New Westminster Police Department statistics show there has been a 12 per cent decreases in total collision offenses in the first eight months of 2023. During that time there has been 393 traffic collision offenses, with 38 of them in August, a drop from the 59 recorded in July 2023.

Here’s how the numbers break down:

New Westminster crime stats: August 2023

PERSONS OFFENCES