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Police chief: crime down in 2024 despite staffing shortfalls; funeral escorts and alarm response under review
Summary
Victoria Police Department reported decreases in Part 1 and Part 2 crimes for 2024 but told council staffing vacancies are straining response capacity; chiefs flagged a nearly 65-minute average response for lower-priority calls and raised funeral escorts and false-alarm policies as items for operational review.
Chief Young presented the Victoria Police Department’s 2024 annual report Tuesday, telling the City Council that overall crime declined in 2024 even as staffing shortages complicated response and enforcement work.
"I’m proud to share that despite being understaffed, we significantly reduced crime in the city in 2024," Chief Young told the council. The department reported a 10.62% reduction in Class 1 (Part 1) offenses and an 8.08% reduction in Class 2 offenses compared with 2023. Violent crime was down about 7.12% (a decrease of 19 offenses), and property crime fell about 11.27% (a reduction of 163 offenses). The department noted a roughly 7% increase in motor vehicle thefts, an increase of six offenses.
Chief Young and staff described persistent workforce challenges: multiple vacancies in patrol and field crews, frozen positions and longer on-call…
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