Port Alberni’s crime rate shot up over the past few months, with police working on several serious investigations including Child exploitation, drug trafficking and a suspicious child death.
Port Alberni RCMP Inspector Brian Hunter will be presenting the first quarter statistics to city council tonight, showing a 32% increase in criminal offenses and a 55% increase in property crime compared to last year.
Hunter says several chronic offenders remain the bulk of the problem, and police are keeping a close watch on them to arrest them if they breach release conditions or commit crimes.
There were 2271 calls for service in the first three months of this year, which is the highest in 5 years, with assaults, sex offenses, shoplifting, and thefts from vehicles also reaching record levels.