SAUGUS – Climbing into his Chevy Tahoe, Saugus Police Sgt. Paul VanSteensburg adjusts a few scanners next to a “less-lethal” shotgun at the ready and takes a deep breath as he begins his evening shift.?There aren?t any definites in this job,” he said. “Our lives are just bizarre. One minute you?re having a coffee and the next minute you?re wrestling with someone who wants to kill himself. You just never know what?s going to happen that day.”The 30-year-old VanSteensburg joined the department in 2003 and quickly climbed the ranks to sergeant, where he works as a patrol supervisor on the 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. shift. During those hours, VanSteensburg said he battles an array of domestic abuse calls, traffic issues, motor vehicle break-ins and larcenies.Over the eight years that he has worked the shift, he said crime used to come in waves around the holiday and summer seasons. But lately, crime has been on an upswing in town.?The obvious answer is that it?s because of the economy,” he said. “It?s taken a lot of people a few years to go through their money and now people are starting to get desperate.”According to police records, the number of calls for service spiked from 2009-2010, with a 10-percent increase totaling approximately 19,960 calls. Out of those calls, a 6-percent increase in domestic disturbances has been charted, along with a rise in breaking and entering into homes and vehicles. Arrests and major crimes are also on the move, both with a 4-percent increase.Acknowledging the rise in crime with a nod of his head, VanSteensburg drove through an area he said has a higher rate of crime, East Saugus, as he stressed the need for an increase in officers from the current 52 on the department. He also pointed out a hotbed of criminal activity that officers frequently patrol, the Saugus Commons, which are inherited by a handful of people who VanSteensburg labeled a “couple of nightmares.”?Work has gotten busier over the years and 52 people is not enough,” he said. “But for the most part, everyone gets along. I love my shift because of the guys that I work with. It just flows?it works.”A few of those officers suddenly alert VanSteensburg of a warrant arrest going down, where he quickly drives over to assist. The woman in question, who VanSteensburg said has a lengthy record, is wanted on a series of credit card larcenies. After a few knocks on the door of her home, her father answered and said he hasn?t seen his 24-year-old daughter since she almost overdosed on her bed with her baby laying beside her.?She has a heroin problem and they don?t know where she is,” he said while driving away on the snow-encrusted street. “It?s sad.”The Somerville native, who has a twin brother, also employed as a police officer in New Hampshire, said one of the more nerve-wracking calls to respond to is a domestic, mainly because they are crimes of passion and often involve heated arguments.?Some people think we?re going overboard (when several cruisers respond), but we don?t know if the person has a gun, so we have to approach it the same way every time,” he said. “We don?t know you or what we?re coming into.”Regardless of the crime, VanSteensburg said it is always a good feeling when the alleged criminal is caught and required to serve time for the crime.?However, sometimes, the outcome doesn?t seem justifiable and that is very frustrating when you know you did the arrest by the book and the case gets thrown out,” he said. “There is a lot of leniency toward punishment (in the court system).”As another night draws to an end, VanSteensburg parks his Tahoe and walks back into the department, always ready however to spring into action at a moment?s notice.