'BIG-CITY' CRIMES WORRY CHIEF

Drug Offences Skyrocketing While Property Crimes Plummet

Property crime in Calgary fell to a 25-year low last year -- down 3.5
per cent since 2001 -- according to the Calgary Police Service's
annual statistical report for 2005.

Drug offences, meanwhile, have soared by almost a third in the past five years.

There were 52,805 property crimes in Calgary last year, compared with
54,650 in 2001.

"As the chief, I'm very pleased with this trend," said police Chief
Jack Beaton.

However, drug offences are an area of concern.

While the number of cultivation offences has decreased by almost half
from the previous year, trafficking reports have reached a five-year
high, the report shows.

Since 2001, trafficking offences have increased by 49 per cent to
1,199 and the number of crack cocaine incidents has increased 113 per
cent to 653 offences from 306.

Beaton attributed the increases to a more focused approach to this
area of crime by police.

"When you see stats like that, it's usually a reflection of the
resources you put to the problem," he said. "That's one of our major attacks."

Ward 10 Ald. Andre Chabot said the police have done a "great job
busting up crack houses that were on every corner (last year)," and
he's pleased the police are keeping dealers from simply relocating
into a different area.

"Now the crack dealers are moving onto the street," he said, adding
he's requested an increased police presence to keep prostitutes and
drug dealers from plying their trade.

Overall, the number and rate of personal crimes decreased slightly in
2005. In fact, the personal crime rate was the lowest in a decade.

"It's the kind of trend we want even though our city is growing at
this fast pace," said Beaton.

The chief said he is worried about the number of violent assaults and
homicides in the city.

"I'm very concerned. We're a big city, but I don't think we need to
see big-city crime," he said, adding he hopes statistics in this area
are an anomaly.

Assaults with weapons causing injury have increased from 905 half a
decade ago to 1,034 last year. There were also 24 homicides in 2005,
seven more than the previous year.

"Violence involved in the assaults is going up and that's a concern
for us," Beaton said, adding the regularity of knife attacks is worrisome.

Overall crimes against people, however, have dropped 3.3 per cent
from 2001 to 9,259 last year. This is the lowest it's been since 1996.

Domestic assaults have decreased substantially in the last five
years, with 2,673 last year and 3,211 in 2001.

A change in the youth justice system may have affected the results of
youth crimes in Calgary. The total number of youth offences increased
only marginally from 2004, but the total number of formal charges, at
4,156, showed a 10.6 per cent increase from 3,458 in 2003.

Chabot said further overhaul of the Youth Criminal Justice Act should
be done to allow judges to assess harsher penalties on young offenders.

Crime trends

From 2001 (876,519 population) to 2005 (956,078) in Calgary

- - The number of property crimes dropped 3.5 per cent from 54,650
offences to 52,805.

- - The number of personal crimes dropped 0.8 per cent from 9,339 to 9,259.

- - Homicides increased from 14 offences to 24.

- - Sex assaults decreased 18 per cent from 978 offences to 801.

- - Overall assaults increased from 6,672 offences to 6,729.

- - Assaults causing bodily harm increased 19 per cent from 1,407
offences to 1,673.

- - Assaults with weapons causing injury increased 14 per cent from 905 to 1,034.

- - Hate crimes dropped from 119 offences to 96.

- - Drug offences increased 30 per cent, from 1,912 to 2,484.

- - Domestic-related attacks dropped 17 per cent from 3,211 to 2,673.

Source: Calgary Police Service annual statistical report