The Brandon Police Service released its annual report for the 2019 year on Wednesday afternoon, providing a valuable opportunity to reflect back on the year that was in law enforcement and crime in the community.
Included are profiles on technology projects rolled out last year including the new e-ticketing platform for by-law enforcement, the launch of an online and social media presence for the City of Brandon Pound and the highly successful 529 Garage bike registry.
Of particular interest annually when the BPS report is released is an examination of year-on-year crime statistics that may provide a frame of reference for any changes that may have been observed in the community.
Of note in that regard are 945 Crimes Against Persons, a reduction compared to the 989 charges laid in the same category in 2018 and the lowest number in that category since 2016’s 943. The difference from 2018 to 2019 was comprised largely by a drop in the Assaults category, which at 604 represents a 9% drop from the previous year.
On the other hand the Crimes Against Property saw a rise to 3663 from 2018’s 3634 instances in which charges were laid.
Also disclosed in the report is the number of calls for service received, which at 39,831 in 2019 represents the first year-on-year decrease in calls this decade.
The full report can be read at:
http://police.brandon.ca/images/pdf/annualReports/report_2019.pdf
Both trends appear to be continuing into the 2020 calendar year, with currently published crime statistics on the Brandon Police Service website showing an 18% drop in reported Crimes Against Persons through February and a 3% rise in Crimes Against Property over the same time frame.