Latest news with #CrimeSeverityIndex
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Lethbridge Police Commission extends chief's contract until 2029
Lethbridge's police chief will stay on as the city's top cop for another four years. The Lethbridge Police Commission has announced Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh's contract has been extended until 2029. The commission says the chief has provided consistent leadership through a period of transition and change. The commission added that the extension of the contract comes at a time when the city's Crime Severity Index dropped 19 per cent compared to the year before. Mehdizadeh began his policing career with the RCMP in 1989 and has been with the LPS since 2020. The commission says his contract extension will help continue momentum in a positive direction in the years to come.
Hamilton Spectator
24-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Severity of crime trended down in 2024 for Williams Lake
The volume and severity of crimes reported by police in Williams Lake was lower in 2024 compared to 2023. 'Everything is down,' said Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor about the city's Crime Severity Index (CSI) results for 2024, published on Tuesday, July 22 by Statistics Canada. 'I'm concerned, don't take me wrong, but I think what the local leadership is working on is working,' he said, adding that it was his job as mayor to protect and provide safety to the city. In 2024, crime severity in the municipality of Williams Lake decreased by 23 per cent from the year prior and rural Williams Lake saw a nine per cent decrease. The violent crime severity index in the municipality was reduced by 26 per cent and non violent by 22 per cent. Over 10 years, the index saw only a 0.4 per cent overall CSI reduction for the municipality, but an 11 per cent reduction for rural Williams Lake. Nevertheless, it's a big change for the city in B.C.'s Interior which saw an increase in the severity of police reported crimes in 2023. 'It's good to see these numbers down,' Rathor said. 'Credit goes not only to RCMP but to all the community, everybody is doing their part.' The mayor emphasized the importance of collaboration when working on building a safe community, not only among the leaders and authorities but with each and every individual who reports crime or unusual behaviour to the police. 'And that's what I expect, I expect nothing less than that,' Rathor said. 'Community safety cannot rest solely on the shoulders of police alone,' said Williams Lake RCMP Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon in a statement to the Tribune. 'A multi-pronged, preventative approach is needed in our efforts to continue reducing crime and improve community sense of safety in our city.' McKinnon said the CSI results indicate that crime is down in Williams Lake and reflect what the local police detachment has been seeing daily. 'The Williams Lake detachment's top priority has been to reduce crime,' McKinnon said, which is being accomplished by focusing resources on locations identified as concerns. He said officers have been collaborating with multiple agencies 'to intervene and support people before their situations become acute,' and police visibility has been increased on the streets, in parks and in known problem areas. McKinnon also said RCMP have been proactive in taking an analytical approach to preventing crime and targeting repeat and violent offenders. 'Many crimes are crimes of opportunity and are preventable,' McKinnon added. 'So we remind people that property crime can be reduced by locking our doors, our vehicles and securing our bicycles.' In the last decade, 2020 and 2023 yielded the highest results on the index for the municipality of Williams Lake, while 2019 and 2021 were higher for rural Williams Lake. The lakecity also ranked ninth among B.C. jurisdictions with the highest CSIs, calculated by adjusting the crime rate based on the severity of the crime. However, the index does not account for specific demographics and can be misinterpreted without considering the context of an area. Significant statistical anomalies can occur for municipalities with small population bases, particularly if they are a hub for their region. A single prolific offender, or a small number of particularly violent crimes such as murder or aggravated assault can result in significant swings as crimes are weighted by severity to calculate the index. In June, additional resources were sent to Williams Lake to help address disturbances in the city's downtown as the question of declaring a state of local emergency was floated. 'I'm concerned for the overall well-being of our my job as a mayor to protect and to provide the safety and look after the safety of our citizens, as a mayor and council it's our job,' Rathor said. Across the country, the rate of police-reported crime was down in 2024. In B.C., the crime rate decreased by seven per cent from 2023 to 2024 and the CSI decreased by 11 per cent. Over the past 10 years, B.C.'s crime rate was down eight per cent, but the severity index is up by three. With files from Mark Page and Thom Barker. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Latest national crime stats report shows Regina trending in positive direction: acting RPS chief
Regina saw an 11-per-cent decrease in the volume and severity of police-reported crime last year, as measured by the Crime Severity Index (CSI), according to a recent Statistics Canada report. Nationally, Canada saw a four-per-cent decrease in the same statistic, over the same period, which follows three consecutive years of increases. Released this week, the report entitled 'Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2024' outlines changes in the CSI and other crimes rates from 2023 to 2024. Crime rate is the total number of crimes per 100,000 population. The national figure decreased by four per cent from 2023 to 2024, while Regina's crime rate dropped by seven per cent. However, Regina's 2024 rate of 7,503 sits well above the national average of 5,672. For 2024, Regina ranked ninth highest in the country for crime rate among the 41 measured census metropolitan areas (CMAs). The city ranked 11th highest in terms of CSI for 2024 — this is down from ninth place for the year prior. Speaking to reporters at Regina Police Service (RPS) headquarters earlier this week, Acting Chief Lorilee Davies said, for the most part, the report comes as really good news. 'I can recall the days when Regina was number one for crime severity and crime rate,' she said. Chilliwack, Red Deer and Kamloops registered the first-, second- and third-highest crime rates among measured CMAs in 2024, respectively. Saskatoon ranked sixth highest. Davies addressed the fact that it was mostly western cities ranking high on the list for both crime rate and CSI. 'We have long standing issues, I would say, in regards to vulnerable persons, marginalized people, that tend to lead to — example — higher incarceration rates. And so I think that we tend to see that play out in Western Canada.' While Davies acknowledged downward trends in crime stats were seen across the country, she pointed to police visibility, community engagement and work done by specialized units related to traffic and drugs, as being among factors which may have contributed in Regina. Despite the positive trend, she spoke about shoplifting being a 'pressure point' in the city. The crime saw an increase of 14 per cent across Canada, from 2023 to 2024. 'We have a property unit that is working very proactively with retailers, with loss prevention officers to try and get a handle on it,' she said. For the current year so far, Davies said trends in many Regina crime statistics are looking positive again. But despite those positive trends, she said there is more work to be done in order to continue in the right direction. She said some crimes, such as homicide, police have little control over. But Davies noted that continuing efforts at visibility, engagement and collaboration is something the RPS can focus on, as well as looking for best practices from across the country. bharder@ Related Crime stats explained: What do the rankings really say about crime in Saskatchewan? 'Encouraging': Regina drops to ninth place in national crime severity ranking The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- CTV News
LaSalle has lowest Crime Severity Index in Ontario municipal police services
LaSalle has lowest Crime Severity Index out of Ontario municipal police services, according to Statistics Canada. Stats Can released police-reported crime statistics for 2024 on Monday. Included in this batch of data is the Crime Severity Index (CSI). Of the 43 municipal police services in Ontario, LaSalle ranked #1, with the lowest Crime Severity Index of 21.26, representing a 15.8per cent decrease from the year prior. T This is also significantly lower than the provincial average of 60.69. LaSalle also ranked #1 within Windsor-Essex. This does not include all municipalities policed by the OPP, just the ones in Essex County. More stats are available online: Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in Ontario
CTV News
23-07-2025
- 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.
