Elk Valley RCMP respond to slightly higher volume of calls in Fernie during Q4

Elk Valley RCMP have been facing a slight upswing in calls across Fernie in recent months.

S/Sgt. Svend Nielsen reported to City Council Tuesday (May 19), saying the detachment responded to 319 calls for service between January and March this year – making up roughly 38 per cent of all reports in the Elk Valley in that time.

Those figures are also higher than the same period over the past three years.

Traffic incidents made up the most calls due to changing weather conditions in the region at that time, along with 12 impaired investigations.

Mounties also responded to 13 disturbances and 12 for mischief.

“I think that there are certainly times in any community where you get to a point to where crime statistics or crime events are elevated,” said Nielsen. “I’d be hesitant to say we’re on the uptick. 

“I think there are certain events where things have become more apparent, particularly with property, that things are a bit more at risk than [when] some persons in the community may feel before they could just arbitrarily leave a valuable kind of exposed.”

While not included in this quarterly report, Nielsen pointed to some bike thefts that have been making the rounds on social media since April. 

The detachment also recently released its first-quarter figures for the year in Sparwood, with those calls down compared to the previous year.