RICHMOND BUCKS REGIONAL CRIME TREND

Violent Incidents Down 22 Per Cent, Overall Offences Down 5 Per Cent

When it comes to violent crime, Richmond RCMP managed to do what its
counterparts in Surrey, Burnaby and Vancouver couldn't.

According to figures released Thursday by Statistics Canada's
Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, the number of violent crimes
last year in Richmond dropped 22 per cent compared to 2003.

Meanwhile, Richmond's neighbours to the north and east saw increases
in the same area of between 3.8 per cent and 9.2 per cent.

The overall number of Criminal Code offences in Richmond was down
five per cent, while Burnaby saw an increase of nearly 12 per cent.
Vancouver's crime rate increased a little more than three per cent,
while Surrey's was marginally lower, down 0.2 per cent.

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie says the city's close working
relationship and co-ordination with the RCMP and the proactive
efforts being made on numerous fronts should be credited with the
positive results.

Brodie credited initiatives such as the school liaison program,
adopt-a-school (where all of the schools have been adopted by the
RCMP), the anti-drug and alcohol DARE program for the kids and others.

The approach Richmond has taken has been a very proactive one,
instead of reactive enforcement, but to get into the community and to
make positive connections, especially with the youth and the people
who are at risk," Brodie said.

I think they've started to pay off. (The Statistics Canada figures
do) give you confidence that the tax dollars being spent on the
police are well spent."

About the city's close work with the police, Brodie said: The
situation has worked very well to get ahead of the problem instead of
always playing catch-up."

He pointed to the new marijuana grow-op bylaw aimed at encouraging
property owners and landlords to take greater responsibility, and the
efforts to deal with the local street racing problem, which claimed
numerous lives in recent years but has been kept largely in check since 2004.

Nationwide, the national police-reported crime rate was down one per
cent in 2004. While most crime categories saw a decrease, there were
noticeable increases in the number of homicides and drug incidents,
the Statistics Canada figures indicate.

Among the provinces, Ontario's crime rate fell a little more than
five per cent, while B.C.'s increased slightly, up 0.2 per cent.

As for homicides, B.C. saw a 17.9 per cent increase to 112 murders,
which ranked it second behind only Ontario (187), and just ahead of
Quebec with 111 murders.

The level of violent crime across the country dropped two per cent,
with B.C.'s figures down 1.5 per cent.

Among census metropolitan areas, Vancouver saw decreases in the rate
of robberies, break-ins and motor vehicle thefts, while the number of
homicides increased 2.6 per cent.

The rate of violent crimes involving youths dropped 14.2 per cent in
B.C. in 2004 compared to the previous year, while Ontario and
Manitoba saw increases of 4.1 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

Overall, the youth crime rate dropped 12.7 per cent in B.C., and 4.1
per cent Canada-wide.