Yellowknife (Jan 05/07) - The RCMP responded to more than twice as many calls for service over the festive season this year than they did last year.

Police received 156 calls from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day this year, compared to just 62 last year.

However, Cpl. Marc Coulombe of the Yellowknife detachment said this is not due to an increase in crime, but an increase in police presence.

"What it boils down to is, we're putting more boots on the street," he said.

Last year at this time there were only four or five members on patrol. Now there are seven, said Cpl. Coulombe.

In addition, there has been an increase in volunteer help. The RCMP has had more auxiliary members join since last Christmas.

"They're basically unpaid police officers that don't carry guns," said Cpl. Coulombe.

The increase in resources means the RCMP is responding to a lot of what it calls "sub-generated calls" that come in from officers on the street who see crime in action, said Cpl. Coulombe.

For example, the stats show RCMP dealt with eight mischief calls during the last holiday season. This year it was 25. Cpl. Coulombe said that doesn't mean that there was an increase in hoodlums wreaking havoc upon the city.

"It's a very vague section" of the Criminal Code, he said, adding that it includes anything that prevents someone from lawful enjoyment of their property.

"It's hard for us to break it down to what it was specifically," he said. "It could be anything from vandalizing a Canada Post mailbox, to breaking a car window or a loud party."

Beyond the increased police presence on the streets, Cpl. Coulombe said it's difficult to determine what other factors may have played a role in the elevated crime numbers. Numbers of calls for service vary widely on any given day.

"It's so up and down," he said. "I've been in on a Friday night and only had one call in 12 hours. I've also been in on a Sunday and not had time for a single coffee break."

The good news is that this year there was not a single drug charge laid during the holidays, compared to one last year. Checkstops have also finished for the festive season, and the statistics will be released soon.