The number of calls made to Barrie police increased in 2021 and are close to reaching pre-pandemic levels, the Barrie Police Services Board heard on Thursday.
The city’s police force fielded 73,696 calls for service last year, higher than the 66,280 calls made in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, but somewhat lower than the 74,112 calls in 2019.
Deputy Police Chief Wyllie Allan told BarrieToday that's an indication that things are returning to normal as the two-year mark of the pandemic nears.
And even though police responded to its first homicide in two years in November, violent crimes remained lower in 2021 than pre-pandemic years.
In 2021, Barrie police handled 1,511 crimes against persons, which includes assaults, sexual assaults, robbery, harassment and uttering threats, up slightly from 1,507 the previous year, but lower than 1,575, 1,625 and 1,654 in 2019, 2018 and 2017 respectively.
Barrie marked a milestone last year by having the country’s lowest violent crime rate in 2020. Its overall crime rate was the country’s third lowest.
Allan said violent crime in Barrie remains low.
“The homicide that our city experienced in November 2021 was a tragic event, but it was also an uncommon occurrence in our city,” he stated in an email. “When serious, violent incidents take place, they receive a lot of public attention because they are so few and far between. We know that they have an impact on those involved and on the broader community, however the reality is that while tragic, they are not frequent and are often isolated in nature, with no threat to the general public.
“Last November, our team conducted a thorough investigation, and was able to make three arrests over the weekend, bringing resolution to the homicide less than 48 hours after the first call came into police," Allan added.
Meanwhile, property crime — which includes break-ins, mischief, thefts, frauds, trafficking goods, and arson — dropped to 2,519 last year from 2,752 in 2020 and 3,775 in 2019 and 4,172 in 2018.
Drug offences and criminal traffic violations, however, increased in 2021.
There were 456 drug offences in 2021, up from 371 in 2020, but still below the 489 offences recorded in 2017. They include the possession, use, sale or furnishing of any drug or intoxicating substance or drug paraphernalia.
There were 586 traffic violations last year including charges such as impaired driving, dangerous operation and flight from police.
Allan said the statistics around intimate partner violence seems to be trending normal in Barrie despite reports in other jurisdictions indicating increases.
Repeat offenders involved in low-level crimes who are then released into the community are considered to put a disproportionate demand upon police and community resources.
The force’s community safety and well being unit and the community engagement team is expected to address some of the underlying issues contributing to the repeat low level crimes in our community.
“By working jointly with social service community agencies, this team will be able to focus on the reform of these individuals rather than sentencing,” said Allan. “This multi-sectorial approach will contribute to a collective focus on overall community safety and well-being.”
