Crime rose last year in Burlington, Milton, Oakville but violent incidents fall

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Published April 1, 2022 at 1:05 pm

Crime rose about 15 per cent in Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills last year.

The numbers were included in the Halton Regional Police’s annual report to the Halton Police Board yesterday (Thursday, Mar. 31).

Last year saw 11,496 criminal offences in Halton, up 1,643 over 2020’s 9,853. That’s an increase of 16.7 per cent, but when population growth is accounted for, it’s an actual increase of 14.1 per cent.

Within the numbers were both some good and bad trends.

Violent crime offences decreased 2,160 in 2020 to 2,091 in 2021, a population-adjusted decrease of 5.3 per cent. These crimes accounted for 18.2 per cent of all criminal offences, down from 21.9 per cent in 2020.

The concerning jumps in types of crimes were property and impaired driving, both of which may have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“2021 was another exceptionally-unusual year for Halton, Canada and the rest of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said board chair Jeff Knoll, an Oakille councillor. “Despite this, many of the trends fall in line with our pre-pandemic statistics.”

Property crime rate increased by 12.5 per cent, with a total of 7,461 in 2021. Impaired driving apprehensions were up 12.1 per cent in 2021, to 490.

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