The perception is the reality: property crimes in Whitehorse are surging, new RCMP data show.

Officers responded to 4,321 calls from April 1 to June 30, a slight drop from the 4,382 over the same period last year. But calls related to property crime complaints rose significantly.

Seventy-two break and enters were reported in that quarter this year compared to 56 last year. There were 144 reported thefts less than $5,000 compared to 123 during the same quarter last year. 

Vehicle thefts have also increased. There were 45 reported from April to June this year compared to 28 in the same quarter of 2023. Thefts from vehicles went from 37 to 77 in that quarter of 2023 and 2024 respectively, while bicycle thefts soared from 13 to 34. 

More than half of the total police calls for service occurred in the downtown area from April 1 to June 30 of this year, police report. 

Crimes continued in a big way after June 30. Multiple downtown break-ins happened on the night of July 17, and they remain unsolved.

The victimized businesses included the Kita Japanese Kitchen + Bar and Pickapeppa, both located on Second Avenue, and at the Farm and Social on Ogilvie Street. Doors and windows were smashed. 

Other break-in cases were solved and charges were laid. 

“A 40-year-old Whitehorse man was charged with three counts of break and enter to three downtown area businesses that were broken into on separate occasions in July,” the RCMP said recently. 

“Another 27-year-old Whitehorse man was charged with break and enter to a business located in the industrial area that occurred at the end of June. A 43-year-old Whitehorse woman was charged with a break and enter to a local Whitehorse business and to a residence, both occurring on different dates in the month of July.”

The RCMP release said officers are committed to “intelligence-led policing.” They’re responding to the downtown safety problems by conducting foot patrols in the area regularly, as well as vehicle patrols during the evenings. There were 144 foot patrols conducted from April through June.

Officers have extended their gratitude to residents for reporting suspicious activity in their areas, saying such initiatives are helping solve crimes. 

The RCMP continue to encourage residents to come forward and report any crime or evidence to the Whitehorse detachment. 

“We hear from people from time to time who said they saw something or had information but did not call the police because they assumed the police knew the information or that it had been reported,” police said.

“Community members play an important role when they actively engage with police; they provide valuable insights and information which can lead to timely interventions and help solve investigations.”