After years of increases in break and enters in Calgary, the numbers are beginning to decline.
Residential break-ins have dropped 27 per cent in the first two months of this year over last. Commercial break and enters are also down 27 per cent.
Police believe the No. 1 reason for the decline is a new approach to fighting the crime.
Watch below from Dec. 27: Global’s Nancy Hixt begins a three-part series looking at what’s being done to fight the problem of house break and enters. Part I looks at the emotional impact of the crime.
Eleven months ago, the Calgary Police Service started a new centralized break-and-enter unit.
“Now with a team coming together, we have a collaborative approach, where everybody is talking about the offenders together discussing options…seeing trends which may have crossed district boundaries,” Sgt. Sean Gregson told Global News.
Every morning, officers from the new unit meet to discuss the city’s latest crimes and trends and come up with strategies to combat the issues.
Watch below from Dec. 28: In Part II of her special series, Nancy Hixt gives us an inside look at the new CPS break and enter unit.
Sixteen officers make up two teams, led by two sergeants and assisted by four crime analysts.
A key focus is tracking prolific offenders.
“We’re monitoring the offenders and we’re being pretty proactive in making sure they are abiding by conditions and trying to keep them on the right track,” Gregson said.
Car prowlings are also down more than 25 per cent in the city this year over last.
Watch below from Dec. 29: In Part III of her special series looking at house break and enters, Nancy Hixt has an exclusive interview with one of Calgary’s most prolific serial burglars.