Sudbury sees hike in crime rate for the first time in years

Overall crime in Sudbury has increased for the first time in at least four years, according to the Greater Sudbury Police Service's 2016 annual report.

Rates of reported crimes increased by 4.7 per cent in 2016. The biggest jump was a 47 per cent increase in reports of fraud.

• Crimes involving technology are on the rise like never before: police
• Greater Sudbury Police say crime rate dropping in city overall

Sudbury police say there are many factors that go into the increase in reported crimes, includingthe fact that solving them is getting more complex. Greater Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen says accessing information is more difficult now that most people rely on phones and computers.

"We require search warrants and judicial authorization to get into those, and that adds a layer ofcomplexity," Pedersen says."It takesstaff time to complete the necessary justification, get it to Justice,get authorization, then come back. And many times, there's an encryption code that has to be cracked to get into that."

Balance efficiency with effectiveness

More complexity could mean a demand for more police members in the future.

Pedersen says the force hasn't seen an increase in officers over the years. They've been able to supplement resources with their community safety personnel program, but the organization won't be able to keep that up for much longer.

"The old business still stays therecars are being broken into, homes are being broken into and assaults are happening," says Pedersen. "New technology crimes, the Jordan decision that impacts disclosure,these are additional workloads for our members. As much as we try to be efficient, at a certain point, staffing is going to have to increase to address that."

Lower solve rates need context

While crime rates increased, the number of solved cases decreased by 3.5 per cent, according to the 2016 annual report.

That doesn't mean that the quality of police work is diminishing, says Pedersen. He says one clue is the force saw an increase in crimes like damage to property and arson.

"Those are sometimes the most difficult types of crimes to solvebecause there isn't a lot of forensic evidence left behind andthere aren't a lot of witnesses," Pedersen says."Sometimes, whenthose types of crimes go up and our solve rates go down, that's anindicationof the types of crimes that are happening."

Pedersen says the solve rates with respect to violent crimes andcrimes against people continue to be high.

Annual report highlights

• Overall crime increased by 4.7 per cent
• Solve rates decreased by 3.5 per cent
• Federal statutes decreased by 18.8 per cent
• Break and enters increased by 19.6 per cent
• Vehicle theft decreased by 17.9 per cent
• Frauds increased by 47 per cent
• Impaired driving offences decreased by 8 per cent
• Most calls for service were handled in less than 24 hours

The 2016 Annual Report will be published online at a later date by the Greater Sudbury Police Service.