The Victoria Police Department has released its crime statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the report shows a significant increase in crime in various sectors compared to 2019.
The statistic’s numbers are of instances dating from March 15 to May 2 of both 2019 and 2020, where officers generated reports after attending a service call in Victoria or Esquimalt.
The report shows a dramatic increase in business break-and 0nters this year, with a 567 per cent spike in calls. Last year during this time there were calls for 12 break-ins, and this year there were 80.
“Property crime, including business break and enters and theft from auto, have increased over this time period,” said the VicPD in a release on Friday. “It is important to remember to secure your valuables, and to leave nothing in plain sight within a vehicle. It is also recommended that you keep track of serial numbers for valuable items.”
The second-largest increase in crime was in robberies, with 2019 seeing 16 robberies in this time period compared to this year’s 25.
Reports of sexual assault are down from this time last year, seeing a 45 per cent decrease in calls, going from 20 in 2019 to 11 this year.
The Victoria Police Department released the statistics after a number of calls from the public and media, interested in the crime numbers during the pandemic
The statistics are broken down by call category and the number of calls officers attended and reported, comparing 2019 to 2020 from March 15 to May 2.
Check well-being calls are the only not crime reports, but a category that still counts calls for service. Mental health-related calls are not considered a crime statistic but the VicPD included it in the report to show the numbers in that category.
A full table of the crime statistics is available below.