Crimes are down significantly in Port Alberni to start the year.
Overall criminal offenses were down 31% in the first quarter of 2021, with B&E’s down 52%, violent offenses down 17%, domestic violence cases decreased for the first time in more than a year, and according to Port Alberni RCMP Inspector Eric Rochette, thefts from vehicles were down 72%.
“Massive reduction from 112 cases to 31,” he said. “I think a big part of it is education – making sure you lock your vehicles and not leaving items iof value in plain view. I know that’s a message we’ve been putting on Facebook and on the radio, and we’ve seen some huge improvement because of that.”
One of the only areas that saw an increase was bike thefts, which more than tripled from 2 to 7 cases, which is still quite small according to Rochette.
He said staffing has been an issue as 7 officers were forced into 14 days self-isolation after being exposed to people with active COVID-19, and 3 members are currently off until the end of the week.
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