Opening comments: More at the end.
Are sex assaults on the raise or is it case of the police arresting men for no good reason to encourage women to make false claims against men, which will keep the police busy and employed during times of a general decline in crime rates? From personal experience I can say this is the case. Men are being arrested even when the evidence is against the women as to if the event could even have happened, especially true when dealing with claims of threats to women. When the police Chief talks about "It takes a lot of resources to do that," he means give me more money & officers and that is what this is really about - MORE power. Not what is best for the community.
What is "sex assault" according to the police? Are these statistics part of other (questionable), crimes? The police say the increase is because of "sexual predators," but how true is that? We do not get the chance to review the raw data used to make the Peel Regional Police annual statistical report.
I think the time has come for a study of all crimes involving women.
Is their new found power to have men asserted with nothing more than their word as evidence being abused?
How much does false arrests costing our legal system and economy?
How many families and business are being destroyed by gender power trips?
We have made significant changes to our legal system and society by empowering women as never before,
is it not scientifically responsible to study and document what are the results of these changes?
Back up to;
The Mississauga News - July 11, 2006 - By Louie Rosella.
Drug crime, sex assault on the rise
More women and children in Peel Region are being victimized by sexual assault.
Drug use and drug trafficking are also on the increase here.
Those are some of the alarming highlights in the Peel Regional Police annual statistical report for 2005, tabled at a recent police services board meeting.
The 29-page report also showed that robberies and property crimes in Mississauga and Brampton are down.
And, while crimes of violence, including homicides and assaults, were up slightly last year (0.6 per cent), they have decreased by five per cent since 2001, according to the report.
"That's encouraging, especially when you think of the 143,000 people that have moved into this Region since 2001," said Peel Chief of Police Mike Metcalf yesterday. "It takes a lot of resources to do that, but I think it's pretty reflective of our goal to try to make this a safer community."
The 459 reported incidents of sexual assault in 2005 is a five per cent jump from 2004, when police investigated 425 incidents.
Sexual assault cases have risen 16 per cent since 2001.
Metcalf said the jump could be attributed to an increase in sexual predators, such as a man who was groping women on Mississauga Transit buses last March.
"(The increase in sexual assaults) certainly is concerning," he said. "Sometimes these (cases) will spike and it's in relation to one assailant. If you have a serial predator out there, he's going to cause a spike in the statistics. That can partly be attributed to the (increase)."
There are 408 registered sex offenders in Peel, 25 of whom are classified as "high risk" to re-offend, Metcalf said.
Meanwhile, drug trafficking and drug possession increased by an average of 14 per cent last year.
Cocaine trafficking was up more than 15 per cent, with 244 incidents last year compared to 205 in 2004.
Metcalf said an increase in the trucking industry in Peel Region has meant more resources are now available to transport large shipments of narcotics.
"When I was in charge (of the drug unit) years ago, we caught 300 kilograms of cocaine that was trucked up from the east coast," the chief said. "Cocaine has been sharply increasing for many years now. It's the money that's involved (in selling it) and unfortunately we have a market for it."
Both Metcalf and Ian Cunningham, executive director of the Mississauga Crime Prevention Association (MCPA), said residents and business owners are more committed to crime prevention, and this has led to less robberies and a decrease in property crime in 2005.
Robberies were down 2.6 per cent last year, while break-and-enters, car and bicycle thefts decreased by an average of 15 per cent.
"Residents are definitely being more vigilant and being an extension of the eyes and ears of police," said Cunningham, who added that Neighbourhood Watch programs in Mississauga have increased from 100 last year to 107 in 2006.
The report also revealed:
* a 20 per cent increase in impaired driving offences.
* a four per cent increase in calls made to Crime Stoppers and a 13 per cent jump in arrests made thanks to Crime Stoppers.
* A 21 per cent jump in traffic fatalities.
[COMMENTS BY DON B. - ]