Burnaby's crime reduction strategy seems to be working if the latest crime statistics from Victoria are any indication.

The city's overall crime rate, or offences per 1,000 population, dropped to 92 in 2007, compared to 113 in 2006, a drop of almost 19 per cent, according to regional crime statistics released by the provincial ministry of public safety and solicitor general.

The rate of violent crimes is down 7.6 per cent in 2007, with the property crime rate down 13.6 per cent, the rate of assaults down 18 per cent and the rate of motor vehicle thefts 14 per cent lower than the year before.

Only the rate of drug crimes has gone up slightly, from 3.6 per 1,000 residents in 2006 to 3.8 last year. The crime rates for the overall Greater Vancouver region have seen similar drops and jumps.

Burnaby RCMP Supt. Rick Taylor credits the city's crime reduction strategy for the improvement. Over the past three years the detachment has made a concerted effort to target prolific offenders, focus on crime hotspots and look at root causes of crime.

When crimes are reported, the detachment's crime analysts can determine where officers should be focusing their efforts. In one case, Taylor said, a series of "strongarm robberies" in the Metrotown area ended when an analyst helped officers identify suspects who were eventually charged for the crimes.

A rash of break-and-enters in North Burnaby was solved when data was used to zero in on likely chronic offenders to the point that officers actually caught them in the act.

The downward crime trend appears to be continuing this year, Taylor said.

In the first six months of 2008, assaults are down five per cent over last year, from 633 to 600 so far this year.

There has been a jump in murders, six so far in 2008 compared to three for all of last year. Of this year's homicides, three are believed to be organized gang- related and the remaining three were domestic violence incidents.

There has been no increase in random homicides, Taylor stressed.

Thefts of vehicles are also down significantly, about 26 per cent, in the first half of 2008, with 630 compared to 856 in the same period last year. Taylor believes the bait car program has helped deter such thefts, with at least one attempted theft and subsequent activation of a bait car in the city resulting in a prosecution.

Taylor does take issue, however, with how the provincial report calculates the number of officers working in Burnaby. Such reports calculate the figures as a snapshot in time, and deduct any officers who are off sick or on leave for long-term illness and maternity leaves, and any unfilled positions.

So while the report lists Burnaby's police strength as 265 officers, resulting in one officer serving 816 residents, Taylor said the city actually has 296 officers funded by the city. Of those, 271 are on the ground in Burnaby, while 25 are seconded to regional police teams, such as the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit.

The closest comparison in the report population-wise to Burnaby, with 216,336 residents, is Richmond, with 186,628. That city is listed as having 207 police officers resulting in a ratio of one officer serving 902 residents.

Burnaby detachment has plans to hire a couple more crime analysts and city council has approved hiring 25 more officers between 2009 and 2012 to staff targeted enforcement programs, he added.

For more on the crime stats, visit www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/police_services/regionalprofiles/index.htm.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com