Something tells me it's not a coincidence.
Last week, Statistics Canada released the first data from last year's census, which showed Delta's population grew by a paltry 3.3 per cent over the previous five years. Also last week, the Delta Police Department released its 2011 crime stats, which showed property crime was down four per cent year over year while crime against other people dropped seven per cent in the past 12 months.
Although the census data has yet to be broken down by demographic factors, including age, it's more than likely Delta's population has got a little longer in the tooth in recent years. There's been some amount of development to bring new people to town, and others have either arrived or left via the re-sale market, but my guess is the majority of the population has stayed put - and got five years older in the process.
There's nothing wrong with this inevitability, nor a whole lot we can do about it, but it does create an uncommon situation crime-wise. It's interesting to note the police department pegged an aging population, along with greater education and enforcement, as one of the reasons why Delta's crime rate continues to be on the decline.
I guess it stands to reason that 50-or 60-something criminals are dwarfed by those in their teens and 20s, so when population figures are skewed to the older set, there's a greater likelihood of a safer community.
It would mean the obligatory spike in scam attempts from long lost relatives seeking financial assistance from good ol' grandma or grandpa, but apart from that, an aging population generally translates into less work for a police department.
I'm just surmising here, but seniors aren't as likely as other age groups to break into cars for loose change to feed their drug habit or kick over fences simply for the thrill of it. Nor are they your number one suspect when a car gets stolen or a fight breaks out at the bar.
Delta, and South Delta in particular, has long been one of the safest communities in Greater Vancouver, even the entire province. This is partly due to our location at the end of the road, but it also has something to do with a variety of demographic factors, including age, education and income levels, and house prices.
Some of these variables have also conspired to make the community a little less rounded than many would like, but it's hard to argue the positive impact they've had on the area's crime rate.
