Temitope Oriola: Numbers show crime is down but troubling trends emerge
Statistics Canada has just released its annual ' Police-reported crime statistics in Canada. ' The publication comes from data garnered from police services through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) survey, in operation since 1962.
Article content
It provides a barometer for understanding trends and patterns of criminality. This is an important resource for criminologists for research, teaching and advisory purposes; police services as they assess how they compare with their peers across Canada; and policymakers concerned with public safety.
Article content
Article content
Article content
The caveat is that only a fraction of criminal episodes (29 per cent of violent and non-violent incidents and six per cent of sexual assaults, according to the 2019 General Social Survey on Victimization by StatCan) come to the attention of the police. Nonetheless, several areas stand out regarding the latest (2024) year in focus.
Article content
Article content
The crime severity index (CSI) decreased by four per cent across Canada. This is noteworthy partly because CSIs increased in the previous three years. The CSI is a composite statistical measure of both the 'volume' and 'seriousness' of Criminal Code incidents, as well as other federal-statute-related incidents.
Article content
Compared to 2023, the CSI in Alberta declined by nine per cent. Across Alberta, while CSI declined by 20 per cent in Red Deer, Edmonton saw a five-per-cent decline and Calgary recorded a 14-per-cent reduction.
Article content
The homicide rate is always worth noting. There was a four-per-cent decline in the homicide rate in Canada. That translated to 788 homicides in 2024 versus 780 in 2023.
Article content
However, an important fact lurks underneath: In 2024, while 34 fewer men were killed, 28 more women were killed compared with 2023. In particular, spousal and intimate partner homicides continue to be quite worrisome. In 2023, 32 per cent of female victims of homicide were killed by a spouse or intimate partner. That
increased to 42 per cent of female victims of homicide in 2024.
Article content
The fundamentally gendered nature of this crime is evident in the fact that six per cent of male victims of homicide in 2024 were killed by a spouse or intimate partner (in other words, seven times higher for women compared to men).
Article content
There were 225 victims of homicide identified as Indigenous in 2024. This is 29 homicides more than the 2023 figures. The Indigenous homicide rate of 10.84 per 100,000 persons is higher than the national average of 1.91 per 100,000 persons. Victims of homicide identified as visible minorities constituted 29 per cent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
7 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Killer who raped, decapitated 12-year-old girl has been paroled: police
According to Halifax Regional Police, 73-year-old high-risk offender Douglas Worth is living in Dartmouth. Worth, originally from the Pictou County area of Nova Scotia, was released after serving 35 years of a federal life sentence for the December 1987 second-degree murder of Trina Campbell in Brampton, Ont. National Post has contacted the Parole Board of Canada to obtain a copy of their decision to release Worth, who police say can have no contact with children or his victims, no drugs or alcohol, and must report all relationships. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Worth has a criminal history dating back to 1968 that includes break-ins, motor vehicle theft and the 1978 rape of an Indigenous girl in Ontario, for which he was sentenced and served eight years, earning his release in June of 1987, about seven months before he killed Campbell. The circumstances surrounding that murder are detailed in multiple news articles from the time and are also explored in a 2005 episode of the television series Crime Stories. In the show, it notes that shortly before his release, Worth had said he planned to kill people and go on a rampage as retribution for his incarceration. Despite those concerns, he had served his limited sentence, and nothing in Canadian law at the time established safeguards around release. After Worth got out in the spring, however, police tracked him to Edmonton, where he reconnected with a woman named Mary Kelly and her teenage son from a different relationship, Shawn. Police said they lost track of Worth soon after, but believed he returned to Ontario. Police said Campbell, a Metis girl who'd had a troubled life, was living in a group home in the fall of 1987 after having run away from foster parents on several occasions. When she failed to return to the facility on Dec. 11, they thought at first she might have run away again. A months-long investigation into her disappearance ensued, but police didn't have any credible leads by the time February rolled around. Despite no evidence of foul play, the file was handed off to homicide detectives Edward Toye and Len Favreau. Meanwhile, Peel police were completely unaware that Worth was living in a downtown boarding house close to where Campbell was last seen by her school bus driver. 'We had no idea this sadistic predator had moved into our area,' Inspector Rod Piukkala said on Crime Stories. Authorities later learned Worth was soon rejoined by the Kellys, and in March of 1988, he asked Mary to rent a vehicle and accompany him so that he could move evidence related to an undisclosed crime. 'He left the car with a hockey bag and went into this ravine area. He then was seen by Mary to come from there carrying this hockey bag that was now laden with something,' assistant Crown prosecutor Al O'Marra said on the show. The two drove about an hour north of Brampton, where Mary said Worth took the bag into the woods and came back with it empty. Back in Brampton, he then ordered 14-year-old Shawn to clean up a stain left in the car's trunk. After the Kellys moved with Worth to his home province in April, Shawn asked his school's guidance counsellor and Stellarton Police for help escaping the violence he was experiencing at home, according to a 2005 article in The Evening News in New Glasgow. During that chat, Sgt. Hugh Muir, knowing Worth was wanted in connection with crimes in Ontario, asked Shawn about Brampton specifically, prompting the teenager to recount the stain story and that he had heard Worth tell other family members that he had killed a man there, not a girl. 'We were both stunned,' Muir said of himself and the guidance counsellor. 'We had no inkling whatsoever that this was coming.' Armed with new information, Toye and Favreau located the rental car with the dark stain. Testing quickly revealed it to be not only human blood, but decomposed human blood. They also discovered the rare blood type is common among Indigenous persons, leading police to think there could be a 'loose chance' of a Campbell connection. The Peel detectives travelled to N.S. to begin surveilling Worth, but had little evidence to act on. Before long, Sharon and Wade Lewis, Worth's sister and brother-in-law, agreed to interviews, during which they spoke about the murder admission overheard by Shawn and Worth's growing paranoia that someone would find the body and connect it to him. 'They advised us that Doug had approached them requesting assistance to get back to Brampton so that he could retrieve the head of the victim,' Favreau said on Crime Stories. 'Doug told them that if you can get the head of the victim, it would prevent anyone from being able to identify the victim.' Armed with that knowledge, police devised a plan whereby they would provide money and a rented car to Sharon that she would give to Worth and urge him to hit the road and deal with his problem. Worth took the bait, and police discreetly tailed him back to Brampton, where he and Mary arrived on the night of May 7 under constant surveillance. Worth gave police the slip overnight, but officers fanned out and eventually located the pair exiting the woods. 'I'll never forget that sight and that immense wave of relief that washed over me when we saw the car parked there and saw Doug coming out of the bush carrying a gym bag. He didn't seem to pay us any mind,' Peel Det. Mike Cederberg told producers for Crime Stories. To eliminate any chance of an alibi that he had found the remains and was returning them to police, officers allowed Worth to drive past two police stations before stopping him in Brampton. In the gym bag, forensics officers found a decomposing skull wrapped in garbage bags, which they soon confirmed was that of the missing girl. The rest of her body was recovered from the area north of the city later that day. 'He broke her leg, fractured her skull, her body was butchered, he snapped off her forearms and dumped her body,' O'Marra told the court during Worth's 1990 trial, according to the Windsor Star. When first apprehended, Worth told police he'd grabbed Campbell in a supermarket, and raped and beat her before leaving her to die in a ravine. During the trial, however, he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Defence lawyer Damien Frost asked the jury to accept an insanity plea, arguing Worth was hallucinating and believed Campbell was a female prison guard from his previous time in prison. It took jurors under an hour to reject that argument and present their guilty verdict to Justice Coulter Osbourne, who handed Worth a life sentence with no chance of parole for 23 years. Worth unleashed a confusing and contradictory rant after his sentencing, per the Star. 'I did not kill her,' he said before adding, 'I'm not saying I'm not to blame for the cause of her death.' He went on to add that people who commit crimes like this against children 'should be shot.' 'That goes for me, too,' he said. He also told O'Marra that he is 'not the cold-hearted son of a b—-' he was made out to be during the trial. 'They say I'm mentally ill, but I don't want to go on living like this if there's no hope. . . I'll put a bullet through my head.' Halifax police said its advisory this week is meant to inform the public of Worth's presence and is 'not intended to encourage any form of vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct.' High-Risk Offender Notification: Douglas Worth Halifax Regional Police is advising citizens, particularly those in Dartmouth, that a high-risk offender is residing in the community. Douglas Worth, 73, is a federal offender who has been serving a life sentence for second-degree… Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
7 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Killer who raped, decapitated 12-year-old girl has been paroled: police
Article content A months-long investigation into her disappearance ensued, but police didn't have any credible leads by the time February rolled around. Despite no evidence of foul play, the file was handed off to homicide detectives Edward Toye and Len Favreau. Article content Meanwhile, Peel police were completely unaware that Worth was living in a downtown boarding house close to where Campbell was last seen by her school bus driver. Article content 'We had no idea this sadistic predator had moved into our area,' Inspector Rod Piukkala said on Crime Stories. Article content Authorities later learned Worth was soon rejoined by the Kellys, and in March of 1988, he asked Mary to rent a vehicle and accompany him so that he could move evidence related to an undisclosed crime. Article content 'He left the car with a hockey bag and went into this ravine area. He then was seen by Mary to come from there carrying this hockey bag that was now laden with something,' assistant Crown prosecutor Al O'Marra said on the show. Article content The two drove about an hour north of Brampton, where Mary said Worth took the bag into the woods and came back with it empty. Article content Back in Brampton, he then ordered 14-year-old Shawn to clean up a stain left in the car's trunk. Article content After the Kellys moved with Worth to his home province in April, Shawn asked his school's guidance counsellor and Stellarton Police for help escaping the violence he was experiencing at home, according to a 2005 article in The Evening News in New Glasgow. Article content During that chat, Sgt. Hugh Muir, knowing Worth was wanted in connection with crimes in Ontario, asked Shawn about Brampton specifically, prompting the teenager to recount the stain story and that he had heard Worth tell other family members that he had killed a man there, not a girl. Article content 'We were both stunned,' Muir said of himself and the guidance counsellor. 'We had no inkling whatsoever that this was coming.' Article content Article content Armed with new information, Toye and Favreau located the rental car with the dark stain. Testing quickly revealed it to be not only human blood, but decomposed human blood. They also discovered the rare blood type is common among Indigenous persons, leading police to think there could be a 'loose chance' of a Campbell connection. Article content The Peel detectives travelled to N.S. to begin surveilling Worth, but had little evidence to act on. Before long, Sharon and Wade Lewis, Worth's sister and brother-in-law, agreed to interviews, during which they spoke about the murder admission overheard by Shawn and Worth's growing paranoia that someone would find the body and connect it to him. Article content 'They advised us that Doug had approached them requesting assistance to get back to Brampton so that he could retrieve the head of the victim,' Favreau said on Crime Stories. 'Doug told them that if you can get the head of the victim, it would prevent anyone from being able to identify the victim.' Article content Armed with that knowledge, police devised a plan whereby they would provide money and a rented car to Sharon that she would give to Worth and urge him to hit the road and deal with his problem. Article content Worth took the bait, and police discreetly tailed him back to Brampton, where he and Mary arrived on the night of May 7 under constant surveillance. Worth gave police the slip overnight, but officers fanned out and eventually located the pair exiting the woods. Article content 'I'll never forget that sight and that immense wave of relief that washed over me when we saw the car parked there and saw Doug coming out of the bush carrying a gym bag. He didn't seem to pay us any mind,' Peel Det. Mike Cederberg told producers for Crime Stories. Article content To eliminate any chance of an alibi that he had found the remains and was returning them to police, officers allowed Worth to drive past two police stations before stopping him in Brampton. In the gym bag, forensics officers found a decomposing skull wrapped in garbage bags, which they soon confirmed was that of the missing girl. Article content Article content The rest of her body was recovered from the area north of the city later that day. Article content 'He broke her leg, fractured her skull, her body was butchered, he snapped off her forearms and dumped her body,' O'Marra told the court during Worth's 1990 trial, according to the Windsor Star. Article content When first apprehended, Worth told police he'd grabbed Campbell in a supermarket, and raped and beat her before leaving her to die in a ravine. Article content During the trial, however, he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Defence lawyer Damien Frost asked the jury to accept an insanity plea, arguing Worth was hallucinating and believed Campbell was a female prison guard from his previous time in prison. Article content It took jurors under an hour to reject that argument and present their guilty verdict to Justice Coulter Osbourne, who handed Worth a life sentence with no chance of parole for 23 years. Article content Article content Worth unleashed a confusing and contradictory rant after his sentencing, per the Star. Article content 'I did not kill her,' he said before adding, 'I'm not saying I'm not to blame for the cause of her death.' Article content He went on to add that people who commit crimes like this against children 'should be shot.' Article content 'That goes for me, too,' he said. Article content He also told O'Marra that he is 'not the cold-hearted son of a b—-' he was made out to be during the trial. Article content 'They say I'm mentally ill, but I don't want to go on living like this if there's no hope. . . I'll put a bullet through my head.' Article content High-Risk Offender Notification: Douglas Worth Halifax Regional Police is advising citizens, particularly those in Dartmouth, that a high-risk offender is residing in the community. Douglas Worth, 73, is a federal offender who has been serving a life sentence for second-degree… — Halifax_Police (@HfxRegPolice) July 30, 2025
Global News
11 hours ago
- Global News
Supreme Court won't hear case of Ontario man who fatally shot Indigenous man
The case of an Ontario man found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an Indigenous man has come to a close after Canada's top court declined to hear it. The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected a leave to appeal request from Peter Khill, who shot and killed Jonathan Styres after finding the man breaking into his truck in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2016. 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 As is its standard practice, the high court did not give reasons for its decision to not hear the case. Khill was charged with second-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, testifying that he acted in self-defence and in accordance with his military training. In 2022, a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight years behind bars. Story continues below advertisement Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed his appeal regarding his conviction but reduced his sentence to six years.
