June has been a busy month for the Nanaimo RCMP so far, according to a recent media release from the detachment.
In the first week of the month, officers responded to 987 calls for service, with over 50% consisting of disturbances, suspicious persons/vehicles, check well-being, unwanted persons, traffic and theft.
The remaining calls ranged from drugs, assisting other agencies, abandoned 911 calls, break and enters, breach of peace, harassment, alarms and mischief.
“It is important to recognize that during this time period, while more disturbances were reported (99) than Check Well Being (86), Check Well Being calls are a priority call for service,” said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“Typically, Check Well-Being calls may involve individuals who are in the throws of any number of addictions, they may be marginalized due to a lack of appropriate housing, or have untreated mental health and/or medical issues,” added O’Brien.
“As a result, these calls are sensitive in nature, time consuming, and often require multiple officers and agencies to respond for a successful resolution.”
On June 1st, RCMP responded to two separate well-being checks, one regarding a man laying on the sidewalk on Terminal Avenue in central Nanaimo and another to assist EHS in downtown Nanaimo with a despondent man who was in the midst of a significant mental health crisis, police said.
During the first week of June, RCMP responded to two calls of thefts from vehicles.
In the first incident, a purse was stolen from an unlocked vehicle on Gardasen Way. In the second case, the owner of a Ford van returned to her vehicle to find that her catalytic converter had been stolen while parked at the Duke Point ferry terminal.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, 80% of all 911 calls that are received are not considered to be an emergency.
Many crimes can also be reported online, such as:
- Theft under $5,000
- Mischief to property or vehicle under $5,000
- Lost property under $5,000
- Theft of bicycle under $5,000
- Theft from vehicle under $5,000
However, the following can not be reported online:
- If there are suspects
- If an item that is stolen or lost has a serial number
- Personal identify items, firearms, vehicle license plates or decals
If you have information on a crime that does not constitute an emergency, you are asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at (250) 754-2345.
