Hamilton Police are confirming a 12 per cent overall drop in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some interesting trends.
The police service says since the province’s state of emergency was issued on March 17, assaults are down 26 per cent, impaired driving arrests have fallen 22 per cent, automobile thefts are down 19 per cent, and weapon offences have dropped 12 per cent.
On the other end of the scale, commercial break and enters have soared 121 per cent and there’s been a 23 per cent spike in stunt driving.
In response to the trends, Hamilton Police say they’ve increased patrols around closed businesses and are reaching out to local BIAs and the Chamber of Commerce to offer additional Crime Prevention support.