The number of drug-related crimes in Richmond has gone up significantly in May compared to last year.
In a crime report going to Richmond council’s community safety meeting, Richmond RCMP said 61 reports of drug-related crimes were reported in May – an increase of 65 per cent from May 2021.
RCMP also noted that of the incidents, 95 per cent of them occurred at the Vancouver International Airport.
Residential break-and-enters cases saw a 21 per cent decrease from April, but has increased by 18 per cent since last year. Commercial cases have decreased 16 per cent compared to the previous month.
The number of auto thefts also went up in May by 67 per cent, when compared to 2021, while thefts from vehicles dropped by 13 per cent. Shoplifting, however, has increased by 56 per cent when compared to last year.
The report states that, the number of reported incidents in shoplifting, auto theft and theft from within vehicles is “within the expected range.”
Meanwhile, statistics showed sexual offences and hate crimes have decreased in Richmond since 2021, according to the report.
The number of sexual offences, which include sexual assault, sexual interference, child pornography and indecent acts, dropped by 59 per cent from May 2021 to 2022. However, mental health-related incidences have increased by five per cent in the past year.
Hate crimes, defined as any criminal offence targeting a specific group, has reported to have decreased as well.
In May, two hate crimes were reported with one involving an assault and anti-Indigenous comments and the other involved anti-Black graffiti.
“The criteria for an offence to be considered a hate crime as per the Criminal Code carries a higher threshold and usually involves one or more criminal offences. A ‘hate incident’ may be motivated by the same factors as a hate crime, but does not reach the threshold of being a criminal offence,” reads the report.
Richmond RCMP’s monthly report is on the agenda for Tuesday’s community safety committee meeting.
