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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Good weather mixed with alcohol consumption drove up crime in Yellowknife to a new high, a city committee heard Monday.

Crime was up in July for the second month in a row compared to 2010, RCMP Insp. Dave Elliott told the municipal services committee.

Elliot couldn't find a higher monthly call count in his records, which date to January 2008.

Compared to last July, when police investigated 1,178 calls, the number of calls this July was 1,555. That's also higher than the 1,349 calls police responded to in June. There were 120 assaults, 50 per cent more than last July.

"Almost all of it is driven by alcohol and drug abuse," Elliott told the committee.

Most of the assault charges, for example, resulted from fights at bars or parties, he told Yellowknifer.

In 2010, almost 60 per cent of investigations related to three types of liquor-related charges including disturbing the peace, mischief, and Liquor Act complaints. Common assault charges made up 5.5 per cent of all investigations last year.

Crime goes up in the summer as good weather arrives and more people hit the streets, Elliott explained. "When it's raining and cold, crime will go down."

With cooler and wetter weather than July, this August's crime statistics are on par with previous years so far

Responding to Elliott's confirmation that most of the crime happens in the downtown core, city councillor Cory Vanthuyne argued that many perceive the area to be unsafe.

It is safe, Elliott responded, "but you will definitely encounter someone under the influence."

Referring to the increasing number of assaults, he said most of the perpetrators and victims know each other. Assaults on strangers are rare, he said.

"It doesn't happen here very often," he said, noting the real issue is a social one. "When it comes to social issues and addictions, (the police) are only part of the solution."

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