Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to address an issue that affects the entire community of Hay River. That being, the rise in personal and property crimes in our community.
Mr. Speaker, from January to August of 2002 there were 93 crimes committed against persons and for the same period this year there were 159. The mischief calls are up from 169 occurrences last year to 245 this year. The disturbances calls are up from 30 in 2002 to 54 this year. I could go on and on with statistics, Mr. Speaker, but trust me, there is an urgent, growing problem in Hay River around the whole area of crime prevention.
Let me be perfectly clear, Mr. Speaker. Hay River is not a bad place to live. I firmly believe Hay River is the best place to live in the NWT and I have made it my home for the last 33 years. Mr. Speaker, I do, however, wish to illustrate that the residents of Hay River are concerned and they are more than willing to be proactive in order to insure the safety and security of our community.
Mr. Speaker, on September 15th there was a community hall meeting held in Hay River to discuss crime prevention and enforcement and, above all, to raise awareness. I was encouraged to see a full house at this meeting, Mr. Speaker. The 75 people in attendance were very vocal about the rising incidents of crime in Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, I fully support and commend the RCMP detachment in Hay River for the work that they do 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to protect the residents of Hay River. The RCMP officers are doing everything they can with the limited resources they are provided with.
Mr. Speaker, we currently have eight RCMP members stationed in Hay River. At one point several years ago, I believe we had approximately 18 members in Hay River. I don't know what changed, but I don't believe the demographics or level of crime activity did.
Mr. Speaker, along with the advent of development comes some stark realities, one being the rise in social problems - alcohol and drug abuse chief among these. Mr. Speaker, as a result of the town hall meeting I am very encouraged that the idea for a citizen's coalition has come about. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.