West Shore RCMP report 18% increase in vehicle collision and crime against person cases in 2021 – Victoria News

West Shore RCMP saw a modest 4.3% increase in reported incidents in 2021 compared to 2020, according to its review of the year report.

Of the 24,043 incident reports received by the detachment in 2021, 13,356, leading the West Coast, were from Langford, by far the largest municipality monitored by the force.

Colwood was next with 4,590 reports, followed by View Royal with 3,617 and the other West Shore provincial jurisdictions, including Metchosin and Highlands, totaling 2,292.

However, when adjusted for population, View Royal had the highest number of reported incidents per 1,000 population at 300, followed closely by Langford at 293.

Colwood’s numbers were 232/1,000 and the remaining districts were 231/1,000. On average, the entire West Shore RCMP jurisdiction had 275 incident reports per 1,000 people.

The number of criminal charges recommended by the detachment was down overall from 2020, although two categories of charges saw increases.

Crimes against persons – assault, threats, harassment, sexual assault and others – increased by 18% with 328 cases in 2021, while drug charges increased by 6% to 56.

Property offenses – mischief, theft and fraud – fell by 23%, with 215 reported. Other criminal charges, including breach of conditions or probation, possession of weapons and failure to appear, were down 19%, with 244 reported.

Traffic incidents were the most common calls for service on the West Bank in 2021, and the number of collisions reported in 2021 increased by 18% to 950. Of these, 22.7% resulted in injuries, while 0.11% were fatal.

Mental health-related calls have continued their steady ascent since 2017, with last year seeing a 2% jump from the previous year to 1,788.

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