Last week, the New Westminster Police Department released its 2015 annual report. The document outlines the department’s successes from the past year and some of its goals for the upcoming year. Now we know a lot of folks are too busy to read the document, so here are five things residents should know.
1 – The police department has an app – Mobile PD. The application allows residents to stay informed of any safety-related incidents that could impact their daily lives. Notifications alert residents of emergencies or incidents, including cougar sightings, missing persons and road closures. The app also provides residents with an up-to-date snapshot of crimes in their neighbourhood. Mobile PD is available for download through the Apple app store or the Google Play marketplace.
2 – A new section was born. To improve cooperation between units that deal with crime prevention, the department created the new prevention services section. Part of the administration division, overseen by Insp. Todd Matsumoto, prevention services includes the victim assistance unit, community services constable, mental health unit domestic violence response team, crime prevention and the school liaison officers.
3 – The 2016-2019 Strategic Plan is here. As noted in the report, 2016 is the final year for the previous three-year strategic plan. The new plan, released this week and available at www.nwpolice.org, is the product of consultations with community groups, a public survey, an internal staff survey, statistics on crime trends and a two-day planning session between officers and members of the police board, including Mayor Jonathan Cote.
4 — Calls for service were up. Despite an overall decline in calls for service of more than 1,200 since 2009, there was a two per cent increase in calls in 2015 over 2014. The increase amounts to about 461 additional calls last year over 2014. Types of incidents that saw increases include violent offences and drug-related offences, which increased by four per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. Two per cent fewer property crimes were recorded while other crimes, including bail violations, disturbances and indecent acts, also declined by nine per cent. Municipal and traffic violations also decreased.
5 — Expect more patrol officers on the roads during peak hours. In 2015, the department analyzed the calls for service to determine during what times most calls were received. Peak call periods were revealed to be 2 to 11 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays and from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays to Sundays. To provide better service to the community during these high-demand times, more officers were moved to a 4 p.m. start time, as allowed in their collective agreement, said Insp. Paul Hyland, who oversees the patrol division. (The adjusted start times do not result in a reduction in the number of officers deployed.)
To read the complete report, click here.
