Barrie Police saw more vehicle thefts and break-ins throughout April of this year compared to last, but fewer impaired driving charges
Thefts from vehicles also up this year compared to last
A snapshot of crimes reported shows a big spike in vehicle theft year over year, along with a bump in break-ins.
The Barrie Police Service presented its regular operational report to the Police Services Board; in it, the report shows the number of vehicle thefts reported from April 2019 to April 2020 increased by 260 percent. There was a 64 percent bump in vehicle thefts from March to April of this year as well. However, the city saw its highest rate of vehicle thefts in July of last year.
Thefts from motor vehicles also saw a big bump year-over-year, a 150 percent increase from 2019, and a 63 percent jump from last month.
Meanwhile, the amount of break and enters reported to police increased by 82 percent from last April to this, but there was a 16 percent dip compared to break-ins reported throughout March of 2020. The majority of the 31 break-ins reported to police in April were to commercial properties.
It appears fewer people were driving under the influence in April of 2020 compared to the same time last year, and fewer than the March that just passed too. Police report a 33 percent decrease in impaired driving calls from March to April of 2020, and a 62 percent dip since last year.
