The Cochrane RCMP issued its 2015 Annual Mayor's Report to Town Council with startling results.

Some offences in Cochrane are at a 3 year high:

  • Thefts are up from 301 in 2014, to 457 in 2015
  • Break and enter is up from 52 in 2014, to 82 in 2015
  • Mischief calls are up from 271 in 2014, to 326 in 2015
  • Drug Enforcement calls are up from 65 in 2014, to 73 in 2015

Cochrane RCMP Sergeant Darleen White, said while it's difficult to pinpoint, there are some factors that contribute to our crime rate.

"Population growth and the economy would both be contributing factors. I know shoplifting went up last year, but we can attribute that to all the new businesses in town, all the commercial growth, with the whole new Quarry area."

In 2015, Cochrane saw a rash of break and enters, as well as stolen vehicles, due to a particular group of people said White.

"We were lucky we caught the people responsible in both those instances, and they went before the courts. I believe those responsible were actually sentenced and are presently in jail."

Overall, RCMP saw 1570.5 calls a month in 2015, an overall increase of 307 calls a month over 2014.

White explained that those numbers can be attributed to population growth.

"Those calls of services are not just for the Town of Cochrane but the rural areas as well. Springbank, Elbow Valley, and Rocky View County in general has grown substantially in the last two years, so that would be part of the reason that we have an increase in calls."

White shared that the RCMP always try to have an action plan when crime rates rise, adding a lot of it is public education.