Overall crime in Castlegar was down in 2023 and Castlegar's top cop is crediting proactive policing and local partnerships with the change.
"I attribute it not only to the priorities we identify, ultimately holding people accountable, and the partnerships we have with mental health, the City of Castlegar, probation, and many others," said RCMP Sgt. Monty Taylor.
According to numbers released in July by Statistics Canada, there were 949 reported incidents in Castlegar during 2023, down about 13 per cent from 1068 in 2022 and 1088 in 2021.
Castlegar's Crime Severity Index (CSI) also dropped from 130 to 115. The CSI measures Criminal Code violations weighted by the seriousness of offences. However, Castlegar's CSI is higher than the provincial average of 104 and the national score of 80.
Across the West Kootenay, Creston's CSI was the highest at 152, followed by Trail at 145. Nelson's CSI increased in 2023 by almost 20 per cent to 106.
Other local communities in the report include Grand Forks and Boundary (79), Salmo (76) and Kaslo (61). The rural area surrounding Nelson was given a score of 42 and the rural area around Castlegar scored 41.
Castlegar's violent crime severity index dropped drastically from 149 in 2022 to 81 in 2023, the lowest rate since 2019. In smaller communities, a few violent incidents can radically influence CSI numbers and such was the case in 2022 when Castlegar saw a homicide, spiking the violent crime index to 149 compared to 95 in 2021.
There were 185 violent crimes reported in Castlegar in 2023, which was the highest number in 12 years. Those violent crimes included 71 level-1 assaults, six level-2 assaults (those involving a weapon or bodily harm), six assaults of peace officers and eight sexual assaults.
Charges stemming from those violent crimes were laid against 41 individuals.
Property crimes accounted for a significant number of the remaining incidents with 516 reported. These included 20 break and enters, five vehicle thefts, 16 arsons, 131 incidents of theft, 270 incidents of mischief and 60 incidents of fraud.
Taylor says that fraud incidents are on the rise and becoming more sophisticated. In 2024, local police are getting several reports of fraud every week with locals losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
Another disturbing trend is an increase in the making or distributing of child pornography with 30 incidents in 2023 compared to 13 incidents in 2022 and 14 in 2021.
Taylor says that a majority of those incidents are related to youth sharing intimate images with each other. The recipients then show or send those images to other people -- both of which are crimes, even if all the participants are youth themselves.
"We want to make sure that hits home at the schools and provide that information piece," said Taylor.
To that end, Castlegar RCMP's victim services coordinator was able to secure a grant to bring Children of the Street's Safer Space workshop to the local high school this fall. The interactive presentation is designed specifically for youth to better understand how to stay safe when using apps and social media. A second session will be offered for parents.
There were also eight drug trafficking incidents in 2023.
Taylor reports that since 2020, local RCMP have seized $150,000 in cash and 12 vehicles working with the BC Civil Forfeiture Office.
"Every chance we get to seize property, we do it," says Taylor. "In addition to the criminal charges, it is a deterrent and some form of accountability."
Taylor says that one advantage of fighting crime in a small town is that police often know who is who and who is perpetrating the majority of crimes.
He adds that a single person can generate hundreds of calls a year.
"If we know who is doing it, we try to ensure that they are on appropriate court conditions, and we monitor them through things like curfew checks, reporting to probation, etc."
About one third of last year's incidents (312) were considered "cleared" and Taylor says that is a typical rate of clearance.
Some of those incidents were cleared by charges. Castlegar police requested 155 charges in 2023, but only 113 were approved by Crown prosecutors against 118 individuals.
Incidents that can not be cleared include random incidents with no identifiable suspects. This includes things like driving complaints with no license plate obtained, mischief or vandalism complaints with no suspects or even assaults with no identifiable suspect.
"The file is concluded, but we have not been able to clear it because we can not find a suspect," explained Taylor.
Taylor says the files can always be reopened at a later date if a suspect is eventually named.
Incidents that involve an identified suspect, but with insufficient evidence can also sit in the uncleared category.
In addition to laying charges, cases can be cleared when the complainant requests that there are no charges filed, or through alternative methods such as restorative justice.
Proactive policing
Taylor says that each year local RCMP work with the City of Castlegar to identify policing priorities with public safety and victim safety being first and foremost.
For 2024 this includes reducing property crime and mental health calls and improving traffic safety. Traffic priorities include targeting impaired driving, aggressive driving and speeding hot spots such as Broadwater Road, Columbia Avenue, 5th Avenue, Pass Creek Road and school zones.
Local police also participate in the Castlegar Integrated Services Collaborative. The group meets monthly and provides an opportunity for organizations, businesses, institutions, agencies, elected officials, and local individuals who have an interest in supporting Castlegar’s vulnerable and unhoused populations to connect with one another and to work together.
Taylor says Castlegar police also work with the city's mental health programs and workers to support each other as needed.
The Castlegar detachment is also part of the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, a provincial program that identifies and prioritizes monitoring repeat offenders. It is a collaboration between police, probation services and Crown prosecutors.
Staffing
The Castlegar RCMP detachment is funded for 16 full-time positions with 14 positions currently filled. There is also funding for one full-time victim services support worker.
One of those RCMP positions has been held in limbo for almost three years due to bureaucracy related to the position originally being set up as a regional Crime Reduction Unit position and the RCMP undertaking a review of detachment structures.
"I would like to get that position back sooner, rather than later," said Taylor.
The other vacant position is simply waiting to be filled, but with such a high percentage of positions filled in Castlegar, Taylor says the vacancy is not a priority for the RCMP when other cities have bigger holes to fill.
Moving to the future, body-worn cameras are finally on the horizon for Castlegar cops with implementation expected in 2025.
"We are looking forward to it," says Taylor.
"We are currently in the process of getting the infrastructure locally for them – running wires, preparing the location."
Taylor adds that there will be a lot of resources required for the cameras including technology and people for the transcribing of all camera footage. Videos also need to be vetted for things like privacy concerns related to bystanders and revelations of personal information.
