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Since the Charlottetown Police Services website launched earlier this year many people have had their eyes opened. The Police Reports — a small selection of incidents from the patrol shifts — have proved extremely popular and have given people a glimpse they did not previously have into the busy daily affairs of a Charlottetown police officer (you can even follow on Twitter). The frequent reports of break and enters and thefts appears to have given some the impression of a problem escalating out of control.

Let me be clear: it is a problem. I’ve been a victim myself and the sense of violation can be worse than the material loss. But Charlottetown still ranks well below the national average for these types of property crimes and the numbers in Charlottetown have remained relatively flat over recent years. We are currently experiencing a slight spike so a press release was issued earlier today to shed some light on the situation.

There is usually a spike in these types of property crimes as the weather improves each summer. In fact, the police prepare for this uptick, and they can often predict the severity based on known offenders and which ones are, or are not, currently in jail (in the words of a Deputy Chief, “some of these guys are a one-man crime wave”). And they did anticipate this summer’s slight increase over last year.

Accordingly, the CPS  has concentrated their efforts recently on dealing with this problem. The Street Crime / Major Crime unit is also now equipped with new tools to gather, analyze, and act on intelligence. The unit is also staffed with experienced, competent officers and their work is paying off.

They do know that a small number of individuals are responsible for a disproportionate number of the incidents. When these people are caught — 26* total in the past eight weeks, some of them highly active perps — it makes a big difference. At that point, it’s up to the justice system to hold them to account.

Part of the problem, I’m told, is that many are released prior to trial with no conditions whatsoever and they sometimes continue their vocation, even step it up a notch, if they feel they’re going to jail anyway. Simple measures like curfews might help but this is a matter outside the control of police.

I’m very pleased with the popularity of the CPS website, but I think it may have created a false sense of a new epidemic, when in fact it’s probably more a case of perception based on the police being more transparent and open with this information. The important thing to know, which I’ve seen and heard with my own eyes and ears, is that the CPS is working hard 24/7 to identify and catch these people, with good results to show for their tenacity.

The one thing police want to reinforce is the importance of locking your doors; car doors and house doors. They’ve watched as thieves prowl and pull on door handles until one opens. As much as we would like to pride ourselves on unlocked doors, you don’t want to make it easy for the thieves if they happen to come around.

Would love to hear thoughts on this issue. Leave comments below (or click the Comments link above).

*Press release says 24. Two individuals were apprehended after the press release was written.