Despite a general decrease in most categories of crime in Summerland over the first three months of the year, break and enters were juiced up by battery thefts at the landfill.
There were five business break and enters reported in the first quarter of 2025, up from just one in the same time period in 2024. Four of these were at the landfill, at 17202 Bathville Rd. In the category of break and enter 鈥� other, there were two incidents, up from one a year earlier. One of the two incidents in this category also occurred at the landfill.
Cpl. Sean Hall of the Summerland RCMP detachment said the landfill break and enters were the result of one individual, jumping the fence to the landfill, to take used automotive batteries.
Automobile batteries can be sold for their scrap metal value, with some scrapyards offering prices per weight in used batteries. Many people simply take them to their local landfills, where they are stored before being shipped off for processing.
He said the individual has since been identified.
While the break and enter incidents at the landfill showed an increase, all other areas of property crime were down.
A total of 46 property crime incidents were reported in the first quarter of this year. This is a 40 per cent decrease from the 77 incidents reported in the first quarter of 2024.
Mischief to property decreased by 59 per cent, with 13 incidents reported in 2025 compared with 32 in the first quarter of 2024.
Fraud numbers decreased by 29 per cent, with 12 incidents, down from 17.
Violent crime figures also showed decreases, with 16 incidents in the first quarter of 2025, down from 38 in the first quarter of 2024.
Coun. Richard Barkwill said the lower numbers in this quarter are noteworthy.
鈥淭he decrease in this is quite remarkable,鈥� he said, noting that the violent crime drops are significant.
Several categories of violent crimes and property crimes were at five-year lows in the first quarter of this year. These included assaults, uttering threats, bicycle thefts, mischief to property, thefts from vehicles, frauds and other thefts, the report said.
The number of calls for police service also decreased, with 400 calls received in the first quarter of 2025, down from 561 in the first quarter of 2024.
