MOOSE JAW — Crimes against people and property continue to decline in Moose Jaw, data show, but there are still some offences that buck the trend, such as aggravated assaults, arsons, threats and liquor infractions.
The Moose Jaw Police Service provided crime statistics up to July 31 during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Aug. 20 meeting.
The data showed there have been 328 total crimes against people year-to-date, compared to 349 incidents last year, a drop of six per cent. Meanwhile, there have been 772 total crimes against property, compared to 1,071 incidents last year, a drop of 27.9 per cent.
Two notable increases in people-related crimes are attempted murder, with one recorded this year and zero last year, and aggravated assault, with four cases recorded this year compared to one last year.
Meanwhile, one notable increase in property crimes is arson, as there have been four this year versus zero last year.
Other increases include 17 threats this year compared to 10 last year, a jump of 70 per cent, while there have been 105 provincial liquor infractions, compared to 86 last year, an increase of 22.1 per cent.
Also, the police have received 12,211 calls for service, compared to 11,913 last year, an increase of 2.5 per cent.
Crimes against the person
The data for crimes against the person in July 2025 versus 2024 showed:
- Attempted murder: 1 / 0
- Assaults (sexual, common, with a weapon, aggravated, against police): 194 / 224
- Robbery: 6 / 9
Crimes against property
The data for crimes against property in July 2025 versus 2024 showed:
- Break-ins (business, residence, other): 59 / 133
- Theft of motor vehicles: 27 / 35
- Theft over $5,000: 8 / 10
- Theft under $5,000: 337 / 476
- Mischief under $5,000: 158 / 155
Other incidents
Other incidents as of July 2025 versus 2024 showed:
- Impaired driving: 33 / 50
- Failing to comply with court orders: 309 / 596
- Threats: 17 / 10
- Domestic disputes: 13 / 35
- Provincial liquor infractions: 105 / 86
- Vehicle collisions over $1,000: 137 / 165
- Summary offence tickets: 830 / 1,249
- Automated speed enforcement: 4,869 / 34,819
- Drugs (cocaine, cannabis, meth, other): 8 / 16
Acting Chief Rick Johns said it was positive that most crime categories continued to trend down, although calls for service continued to climb. He pointed out that officers focus on more than just crime, as they also handle social problems and help people in need.
Asked about the increase in threats, Johns said that category sees officers imposing restrictions — with authority from a judge — on people that prevent them from interacting with others if they don’t get along or there are safety concerns.
“Sometimes those (threat offences) do tend to rise, and sometimes … we see the charges having the opposite effect, because we’re getting to situations sooner and we’re able to put those measures in place,” he remarked, “which ultimately might offset the eventual concern over an assault or something happening of a criminal nature.”
Johns added that all the aggravated assaults this year were between people who knew each other, while officers have resolved them all.
Asked about the decrease in automated speeding tickets, Johns said that was likely because of the construction on the Main Street North/Highway 2 bridge, which has slowed down traffic considerably and “is a good problem to have.”
Mayor James Murdock, the board chairman, said he recently took a ride with an officer during the morning shift — he sat in the front and not the back — and was “really taken aback” by how many social-related calls the officer responded to.
“That really caught me off guard,” he added. “I commend our members because they are put in situations that I would never have imagined.”
The next police board meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 17.
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