Havre saw modest crime decrease

Following drops in a few criminal categories and recent police activity, Havre Police Chief Kirk Fitch is confident that 2013 will see a safer Havre, across the board.

Fitch presented the Havre City Council with a comparison of statistics for the past two years, which showed a drop in burglary and robbery arrests but an increase in larceny and aggravated assault charges from 2011 to 2012.

"Year over year, we see a slight downtick in crimes against persons overall, and a slight uptick on crimes against property, " Fitch said this morning. "I think that has to do with the thefts that were occurring in a few stretches in the later part of the year. I'm hoping that because we did break up that group, that we'll see a downward trend in crimes against property. "

Fitch also sees the department's recently adopted 24/7 sobriety program having positive effects this year. The program requires people charged with alcohol-related crimes to take a breathalyzer test twice a day, first between 7 and 8 a. m. and again between 7 and 8 p. m..

"Alcohol not only affects DUI drivers, but also aggravated assaults, which many times happen as a product of drinking, " Fitch said.

Fitch also explained that the dispatchers in the police department, as the local 911 call routers, took 1,400 calls for fire or emergency medical services, with 1,000 for fires alone.

These figures are submitted to the Montana Board of Crime Control and from there on to the FBI, to compile national crime statistics.

Crime Reports 2011 2012 Homicide 0 0 Rape 4 3 Robbery 6 1 ?Aggravated Assault 54 59 Burglary 45 31 Larceny-Theft 379 389 Motor Vehicle Theft 27 28 Arson 8 8 Total 1042