Iqaluit police arrests for June, July lower than 2012

Calls to police and arrests in Iqaluit were slightly down this June and July compared with the same period of 2012, suggesting that crime rates may be decreasing in the city. (FILE PHOTO)

Police arrested fewer people from January to July of this year compared with the same period in 2012, according to monthly reports submitted to city council Aug. 27 by the Iqaluit RCMP detachment.

A total of 1,584 prisoners were detained in police custody from the start of the year to the end of July, a report submitted to council for review Aug. 27 states.

That amounts to 64 fewer than last year’s total of 1,648 over the same period.

Arrests during the months of June and July were slightly up compared to the same months of 2012. A total of 301 were lodged in July, 32 more than in July 2012.

Criminal offenses in June and July were down compared to last year,

Crimes against persons and property crimes showed big decreases for those two months compared with last year.

Crimes against persons showed the most pronounced drop, to 77 in July from 117 in the same month for 2012.

Reported property crimes were down by 16 per cent from June 2012 compared with the same month in 2013, and down by about nine per cent in July 2012 compared with July 2013.

The sergeant did not give any explanation for the drop in calls for service in his June and July crime reports to council. LeComte told council in June that decreases in crimes against persons were partly due to more “proactive enforcement” by members of the detachment, which involves checking up on residents previously charged with criminal offenses.

LeComte reported that the detachment gave assistance to police in other communities in June, with no effect on service in Iqaluit “as we are close to fully staffed.”

Transfers and holidays left the detachment short of a few members in July, he stated, but this had no effect on service either.