In a report going to the Public Safety Committee of council, Surrey RCMP Officer in Charge Dwayne McDonald says in 2018 crime decreased four per cent over 2017.
All areas of Surrey saw a drop in crime with the exception of City Centre and Whalley where crime was up two per cent.
Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association CEO Elizabeth Model says that’s likely due in part to theft from construction sites.
“Any type of crime concerns us as a business organization,” said Model. “We like not to see that happen where you see things happening, more people moving in as the community adjusts to towers going up and things being built you’re going to see these spikes.”
There are 14 towers going up in the City Centre area of Surrey.
There was no change in violent crime year overall.
Also, property crime continued to trend downwards with the exception of theft over $5,000 up 33 per cent and shoplifting up eight per cent.