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Thefts account for 87% of city's jump in crime

Biggest spike was in property crime, due in part to more online reporting
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With the exception of arson, the number of crimes increased in Greater Sudbury in 2017, rising 18.5 per cent compared to a year earlier.

With the exception of arson, the number of crimes increased in Greater Sudbury in 2017, rising 18.5 per cent compared to a year earlier.

“Crime is going up,” Police Chief Paul Pedersen told members of the police services board Thursday.

But Petersen said when you drill down into the numbers, a big part of the increase is due to more people using an online tool to report thefts from cars. 

Online crime reporting was up more than 50 per cent, and property thefts – which includes thefts from cars -- account for 87.7 per cent of the overall increase in crime last year.

Other factors include more efforts to catch online child predators that has yielded arrests, but likely reflects offences that were already happening in previous years.

And there was a 300 per cent increase in drugged driving offences – usually involving marijuana – something officers weren't trained to detect in previous years.

“So there are a number of things that impact crime rates,” Pedersen said.

While police solved 200 more crimes in 2017 than the previous year, their clearance rate for cases dropped by 5.6 per cent because the number of offences surged.

“Our officers were busier, they're working harder,” Pedersen said.

Violent crime was also up, by 6.3 per cent. At least part of that increase is likely due to more reporting of sexual assault. In addition to national newspaper coverage prompting forces to take more care in investigating sex assault complaints, Peterson said the #metoo movement also likely played a role.

“It has shone a light on behaviour that has been allowed to continue for far too long,” he said.

Auto thefts were up by 35.8 per cent, and Petersen said it's one of the crimes that is most preventable: more than half of the time when a car is stolen or broken into, the keys have been left in the car. 

“This is something all of us can do,” he said. “We can avoid all of that by locking your doors.”

Despite the surge in the statistics last year, Pedersen said there's no reason for anyone to be more fearful once you take a closer look at what's going on.

“This is still a safe community,” he said. “There's no crisis.”