Perhaps because of the pandemic, Windsor was a safer place during the month of May.
The crime statistics for May 2020 were discussed Thursday afternoon at the Windsor Police Services Board meeting. The statistics reflected stats in Windsor and the town of Amherstburg, which is patrolled by Windsor police officers.
Overall, crime took a whopping 37.65 per cent drop year-to-year. There was a total of 1,035 reported Criminal Code violations for May 2020, a sum of 625 less than in May 2019. The numbers for last month were also 6.9 per cent down from April 2020.
Crime against property accounted for a huge decline year-to-year, down 40.70 per cent this May compared to 2019, and down 15.3 per cent from April 2020, according to the report.
Property crime is described as including arson, break-and-enter, theft, fraud, mischief, possession of stolen goods, vehicle theft, and others.
Violent crime remained relatively stable compared to last year, however, with 222 incidents reported in May, compared to 233 last year. In contrast to April, violent crime in Windsor actually went up 24.7 per cent, with 44 additional incidents reported in May.
The stats include one homicide. Assault, sexual assault, criminal harassment, and robbery are also considered violent crimes.
Traffic-related offences were also down. There were 410 incidents reported in May 2020, a 40 per cent decline from the year before. Of these, there were 10 dangerous vehicle operation charges, and 27 charges of operating while impaired by alcohol or drug.