Lethbridge sees sharpest crime severity index drop since 2000
On Tuesday, Statistics Canada released the 2024 CSI. Lethbridge saw its steepest decrease in a quarter century, dropping almost 19 per cent year-over-year to 117.77.
'We just want to make sure that we continue trending in the right direction, doing the things that we do to make sure that we have a safer community,' said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen.
'It's by reinvesting in our police, reinvesting in some of the social agencies that we are working with.'
The first-term mayor says that despite the improved score, there is still a lot of work to be done in the southern Alberta city of more than 100,000 people.
Story continues below advertisement
'I wish I could say that all of a sudden there's no crime because we're dropping down and Lethbridge is free of crime. That's not the case.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Even so, he says it's a positive trend. Lethbridge hasn't seen a double-digit-per cent increase in CSI since 2018.
'We'll continue our collective efforts to keep Lethbridge safe and a welcoming community. Today's stats reinforce our positive direction.'
The Lethbridge census metropolitan area had a CSI score of 105.51 in 2024, down 18.71 per cent from 129.79 in 2023.
According to Lethbridge Police Service deputy chief Gerald Grobmeier, fewer auto thefts have helped contribute to the lower scores.
'People are, I think, hearing the messages. They're locking their doors, they're taking things out of their vehicles so things aren't accessible. They're not leaving their keys in their car when they're running, they're making it a little bit more difficult to steal things.'
While he says a small portion of repeat criminals often make up over 80 per cent of crimes in most municipalities, locking people up isn't always the solution.
'We still have an opioid epidemic, not in this city, but in this country and in North America. That is a real issue and until we address those root causes, we're always going to have these types of crimes that will never go away,' said Grobmeier.
Story continues below advertisement
Both Hyggen and Grobmeier say strides are being made in finding solutions to the drug problem, however. For now, the City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Police Service say they are glad to see the numbers dropping to its lowest in Lethbridge since 2015.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Volume and severity of crime down, breaking 3-year trend: report
There's been a shift in the severity of crime across Canada, according to the most recent Statistics Canada numbers, but is Calgary seeing that same trend? Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual The volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada decreased by four per cent in 2024. The shift follows three consecutive years of increases, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada. The values are calculated by a Crime Severity Index (CSI). 'A number of years ago, we created what's called the Crime Severity Index, and for that we look at the total volume and the seriousness of the offence,' said Warren Silver with the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. The CSI also takes population into consideration. A drop in break-and-enters, child pornography and motor vehicle thefts were among the top reasons for the overall change. Alberta is also experiencing a drop in the CSI, at a six-year low. Calgary dropped 14 per cent from 2023 to 2024. 'One of the trends that's standing out for us is a fairly significant decrease in property-related crimes, and then just kind of the overall general trend downwards is very encouraging for us,' said Insp. Travis Juska with the Calgary Police Service. However, hate crimes are on the rise, according to the report. The number of reported hate crimes has increased for six years in a row, more than doubling in 2018. 'We're seeing a significant increase in hate crime reporting. It's for a number of different factors: geopolitical challenges across the globe, issues in society. One of the things that I wish to highlight is the fact that reporting is going up so much because it's becoming societally intolerable to watch hate crime,' Juska said. Shoplifting trends have also shifted in Calgary. 'It's now dubbed organized retail crime. Rather than just a singular person stealing for their own gain, you're seeing them do it as part of a larger network or doing it on behalf of somebody else, be it high-level fragrances, clothing, meat, alcohol, tools or things that are then being resold on secondary sites or kind of in an underground market setting,' Juska said.
Global News
4 hours ago
- Global News
Hugging bandit: Edmonton senior falls victim to distraction theft
An Edmonton senior was taking her daily walk last week when a vehicle pulled over and a bizarre interaction occurred. The man in the car told 70-year-old Parwati Parwati to come closer. Parwati said she didn't feel nervous, because there was a woman and two small kids inside. When she got closer, the man said she looked like his grandmother who passed away, and he gave her a ring. When Parwati tried to refuse and say no, he asked her to wear it for a few minutes to bless it. She didn't want to be rude. Soon, he put more jewelry on her, and as part of the blessing pulled her in for a hug. But what seemed to be a kind exchange really turned out to be a scam. Story continues below advertisement While the man put on a cheap necklace on Parwati, he subtly stole her real necklace — a gold chain with a religious figure pendant. 'I just cried. I thought, oh my God, where is my chain? And then I (thought) they're not good people,' Parwati said. She said the people in the car were very nice and that is why she approached them. She wasn't sure if they needed help. Parwati's grandson, Sahil Prasad, posted the incident to Facebook, hoping to warn others. He said people have commented on the post, claiming something similar has happened to them. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Don't go near strangers. Stay away from strangers if you're on a walk, if possible,' Prasad said. Prasad said his grandmother hasn't left the house alone since the incident — she is traumatized. Alberta RCMP said they have received a number of reports related to gold and jewelry scams. The robbery will often happen in parking lots across Alberta. The scam follows a pattern: a victim is approached or flagged down by a seemingly stranded motorist. The scammer will use different tactics — they need money for food, gas or airfare to get home — and offer gold or jewelry for exchange. Story continues below advertisement In some cases, it's been reported the thieves will use distraction techniques to remove real jewelry from a victim and replace it with something cheap. Fraud prevention educator Julie Matthews said these scammers will often target the elderly. 'They know seniors can be more trusting and possibly not react in the same way and notice that their jewelry was removed,' Matthews said. 'We want people to know it's OK to say no, it's OK to say no loudly. 'Don't be afraid to yell for help and get the attention of people around you.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Don't be afraid to yell for help and get the attention of people around you." Matthews said the scammers are professionals at this, and follow a script. 'People need to know, (scammers) are very convincing. They may have children or other family members with them — because they know this makes them seem less threatening and you may let your guard down and let them get closer to you,' she said. Story continues below advertisement Matthews stresses it's important to take actions to protect yourself. 'Protect your own personal space. Don't let someone get that close to you, trust your gut. If something seems off you need to trust that and know it's OK to say no or walk away,' Matthews said. Don't trust strangers, she added. They will try to scam you when you don't expect it. 'That goes for in-person in a parking lot when we are gassing up our vehicles, to loading our groceries into our car, to being online and clicking on the wrong thing.' 'Nowadays we need to second guess everything.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Nowadays we need to second guess everything." Matthews said many people feel ashamed if they fall victim to a scam, but it's important to report it to police.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Thief allegedly drives off with vehicle just steps away from owner in Kelowna
What started as a normal Sunday evening quickly turned into a unexpected turn of events for Chef de Cuisine food truck owner Mohammed Nobi. 'I had just parked in front of my food truck and was working like usual,' said Nobi. But moments later, the spot where his vehicle usually sits was suddenly empty. 'I looked at my car, and it was moving. Then I saw the guy — he started to drive,' Nobi recalled. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to Nobi, the man behind the wheel was allegedly a customer he had just served. The vehicle wasn't the only thing taken — Nobi says his laptop, credit card, wallet, and other belongings were inside. By the time Nobi realized what was happening, it was too late to stop him. Story continues below advertisement 'I tried to catch him, but he was already at the driveway,' he said. 'So I called someone who works at a nearby board shop. He helped me drive all the way to the airport to follow him — but we couldn't find him.' Later that evening, a phone notification offered the first clue about the suspect's location. 'Highway 33 in the Rutland area. He was shopping there,' Nobi said. 'He used my debit card — and my wife's debit card too. There was a $470 transaction.' Nobi admits he left his keys in the car, a mistake he never expected to impact his small business. 'I had to shut down my business yesterday. I lost money,' he said. The RCMP confirm the theft remains under investigation.
