SURREY (NEWS 1130) – With over 30 shots fired calls in Surrey so far this year, you might think crime is getting worse in the city. The latest quarterly statistics show the majority of types of crime are trending downward.

Violent crime overall was down two percent in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same timeframe last year. Homicide is down 33 per cent and attempted murder is down 23 per cent. One category that’s increasing is sexual assault where’s there’s been a 67 per cent increase. The number of sexual offences doubled when you compare 2016 to 2015. The shots fired calls are represented in the figures, but will be recorded in different columns depending on things like injuries and whether suspects are identified.

Property crime decreased 11 per cent. That comes as other cities are dealing with double-digit increases in the category. Surrey RCMP Corporal Scotty Schumann says targeting chronic offenders seems to be helping. “Most other police forces will echo this: a very small portion of the population is committing the majority of crimes so when you can target that very small portion, you’ll get the best bang your buck.”

He stresses these numbers represent a small snapshot of the whole picture, but RCMP hope this the start of more positive trends to come.

Mayor Linda Hepner is happy for good crime news, but adds gun violence is a top priority. “At the end of the day, all of our resources right now are really working hard to solve the most recent escalation in shots fired. When I see that at the end of the tunnel, that will be great news too.”

Hepner thanks the public for reporting more crime so resources can be targeted in problem areas. She also credits additional RCMP officers transferred to the detachment recently.