Crime in Strathmore was a big discussion topic in Strathmore recently.
RCMP presented a third quarter crime report to town council.
According to the report from Wednesday, Mar. 19, break-and-enters increased by 800 per cent between the third quarters of 2023 and 2024, rising from one incident to nine.
"That was the result of habitual offenders entering our area, mainly targeting businesses," said Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz. "Of the six businesses that were broken into, we were able to identify suspects in two occurrences. Charges were laid against those involved."
Despite the increase, break-and-enters remain lower than the 14 incidents recorded as a six-year high, though up from five to nine compared to the RCMP's six-year average.
Car thefts decreased from 13 incidents to six, while thefts from vehicles remained unchanged at nine reported incidents.
There were also 233 traffic violations issued, four of which were related to impaired driving. Reportable collisions also decreased from 28 incidents to 16 compared to the previous year.
Police monitored 17 habitual offenders, with one caught with stolen property. Several of the offenders had their conditions expire, which Wielgosz said was a positive development.
"Enforcement and monitoring efforts are undertaken to ensure offenders comply with ordered conditions or face consequences for non-compliance," the report stated.
The report also discussed the new Security Screw Program, which provides free security fasteners for license plates. According to police, several fasteners have been installed at locations across town.
The full report is available on the Town of Strathmore's website.