Weapons charges in the Walkerton area and Bruce County have soared in the last seven years.
An analysis by The Canadian Press of provincial criminal charges found the number of weapons charges skyrocketed between 2000 and 2007.
Weapons charges in Walkerton and Bruce County more than doubled since 2000, jumping to 125 charges last year.
At the same time, violent crime charges spiked at nearly 560 in 2007 — up from just under 340 in 2000.
Sexual assault charges in the Walkerton area also jumped nearly 70 per cent to 35 charges last year.
Drug possession charges almost doubled — just shy of 220 counts last year compared with 115 in 2000.
There was virtually no change in the number of people charged with impaired driving in Walkerton and Bruce County — charges hovered at just over 300 last year.
It also took people longer to get through the Walkerton court system.
It took more than four months — 134 days on average — for a charge to be resolved last year.
An accused appeared in court an average of almost seven times — that is up from more than four times in 2000.
