New RCMP data shows rise in persons crimes in Thorsby

THORSBY -- Incidents of criminal harassment and assault have seen a year-over-year increase in the Town of Thorsby.

This is according to the Thorsby-Breton RCMP detachment's latest crime statistics, which covered the months of October, November, and December of last year. For the quarter, the Town of Thorsby saw fourteen incidents of criminal harassment, up from just four during the same period in 2024. Assaults also saw a slight bump, rising from seven in Q3 2024 to eleven during the same period last year.

"On a preventative side for persons crimes, we're more reactive; When a call comes in, we go," said Staff Sargent Angela Gilchrist, Detachment Commander with the Thorsby-Breton RCMP Detachments. "So, we have had an increase, and it's not just us. It seems to be province-wide that we're noticing that uptick." 

Most of the detachment's other persons crime categories were mostly unchanged from Q3 2024. From October through December, there were three incidents of uttering threats, two sexual assaults, two incidents of disturbing the peace, and three offensive weapons charges. Sgt. Gilchrist says that police don't have an answer as to the reason for the noteworthy increase in calls for harassment and assault.

"I'm not really sure if it's an economy thing, financial issues, or what's spurring it," said Sgt. Gilchrist. "We're getting a lot more calls for domestics -- assaults, and things like that." 

Despite this, Sgt. Gilchrist says that most property crime categories continue to trend downwards. She says that break-and-enters have seen a 43 per cent decrease year-over-year, with twenty fewer occurrences noted in Q3 2025 when compared to the same period the year prior. Theft of motor vehicles was also down 29.2 per cent during the last quarter, with seven fewer incidents recorded by police.

Incidents listed under the Mental Health Act saw a major spike from October through December when compared to the same period in 2024. RCMP responded to twenty-four mental health-related calls during Q3 2025, compared to just ten during the same period in 2024.