By Nick Liard

Crime is down in Sudbury…according to stats provided by the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

For 2014, there were close to 8,200 total offences in the city.

That’s a reduction of almost 400 from the previous year and drop of 2,000 from five years ago.

Crime is significantly down in areas like property offences and break-and-enters, which saw a reduction of 30% from 2013.

Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen attributes these numbers to community initiatives like the Risk Management Table and a presence in local schools.

He calls Sudbury a community that cares, and when residents want to live in safe communities they behave, thereby dropping crime rates.

Pedersen says initiatives like the RIDE program have also had a positive impact, although he stresses impaired driving will likely not go away anytime soon.

Calls for service in 2014 were up slightly from 2013.

Pedersen says part of the service’s strategy is to encourage reporting, because some people choose not to call for whatever reason.

He believes “calls for service” are increased due to false alarms and repeat callers.

Pedersen says dealing with crime only accounts for 15% of what officers do locally.