The Fort St. John RCMP has reported a decrease in calls for service in 2024, compared to the previous year. Despite that, Mounties confirmed an increase of 64% in shoplifting cases in 2024, for a total of 324 cases.
The report showed a similar trend every year dating back to 2020, where only 77 shoplifting cases were recorded by police in Fort St. John. The report suggested shoplifting has gotten progressively worse every year.
The data out of Fort St. John is telling a similar story compared to a report from Statistics Canada, where they confirmed an increase of 66% in shoplifting cases across Canada over the past decade.
Despite the hike in shoplifting cases, Statistics Canada reported the province’s Crime Severity Index fell by 10.8 per cent last year. They also said the police-reported crime rate per 100,000 population has decreased by 7.4%.
B.C.’s new public safety minister says she is encouraged by new data from Statistics Canada.
Nina Krieger says in a statement that the drop in crime resulted in the severity index being at its lowest level in B.C. in six years and adding that the decrease was the largest in Canada. The national statistics agency reported a 4.1% drop of the index across the country.
Violent firearm offences and homicides were among the crimes seeing the biggest decreases, as both crime rate fell by 20 per cent or more.
Across the country, Statistics Canada said the volume and severity of police-reported crime also fell last year after three consecutive annual increases.
Save our Streets (SOS), a coalition of more than 120 communities and businesses in B.C., said the report from Stats Can only tells half the story of what’s really going in B.C. communities.
The coalition said the need for transformative reform to the province’s justice system is greater than ever.
Last year, SOS conducted a province wide pool to get feedback from B.C. residents and businesses about their view on how the province deals with crime.
The poll suggested the crime rates in communities are likely much higher because many crimes go unreported. SOS said that’s because residents have lost faith in the justice system.
“Take a walk in almost any downtown in B.C. and it’s quickly apparent and obvious that street disorder and crime has not decreased,” said SOS Co-founder Jess Ketchum.
Tanya Finley, former President of the Nelson Police Foundation, said crime seems to have become normalized. She added citizens now have to self-patrol their communities to ensure safety.
Ketchum said the situation is not acceptable, and she pushes Canadians to demand more from their government and their justice system to bring safety back to communities all over B.C.