ABBY'S MURDER CAPITAL MONIKER NO LONGER APPLIES

Crime Rate in Abby Down

Abbotsford is set to drop its dubious moniker as Canada's murder
capital after the city recorded four homicides in 2010 and Statistics
Canada issued its report on crime rates.

The study compiled from police reported data was released Thursday and
shows crime rates dropped across Canada last year, and the community
of Abbotsford was no exception.

APD spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said the unsavory title of murder
capital would no longer fall on Abbotsford after the city's murder
rate dropped from nine homicides in 2009 to four last year. So far in
2011 the city has not recorded a single homicide.

"We're pitching a shutout so far," said MacDonald.

"We'd like to keep that going."

Abbotsford's declining murder rate in 2010 fell right in line with
both a provincial and national trend.

B.C.'s murder rate was 1.83 per 100,000 population, which is an
all-time low, despite still being above the national average of 1.62,
said the Statistics Canada report.

Canada as whole recorded 554 murders in 2010, 56 fewer - a 10 per cent
decline - than 2009, to hit its lowest rate since 1966.

Apart from homicides, Abbotsford also experienced a decline in overall
reported crime, including ones of a violent nature.

Violent crime in the Census metropolitan area of Abbotsford-Mission
dropped 24 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009.

Abbotsford Police numbers show the city's individual violent crime
rate actually dropped 26 per cent last year.

Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich told The Province those numbers
reflect the department's tougher stance on drug and gang activity,
especially with the newly formed gang suppression unit last fall

"We set hard targets for all our departments," said Rich. "It's all
about measurable results. . . Policing strategies can make a
difference."

Abbotsford Mayor George Peary echoed the chief's comments, saying the
city's substantial drop in crime over the last year was "not
fortuitous."

"The police are . . . absolutely focused on reducing crime in this
city," he said.

"We're happy, but we're not satisfied."

University of the Fraser Valley criminology professor John Martin said
that while it's good Abbotsford's crime rate has dropped the last two
years, things couldn't have gotten much worse than they did in 2009.

"The crime rate had nowhere to go but down," said Martin.

"It was so over the top."

Recalling the brazen gangland violence that erupted in 2009, Martin
said gang members two years later do not go after their rivals as
publicly as they did before.

He also pointed out that Statistics Canada's report does not include
reported drug crimes, which can skew the overall numbers.

"Anytime crime rate is down you have to respond favourably, but you
have to put it into perspective . . . not including [drug-related
crimes], I wouldn't attach too much meaning to that."