Latest news with #crime severity index
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Edmonton sees decline in crime rate but increase in disorder calls
Edmonton's crime rate and crime severity index declined in 2024 compared to 2023. Edmonton police have also seen an increase in the amount of disorder calls. Travis McEwan looks at those stats and how some Edmontonians perceive crime in the city.
CBC
7 days ago
- CBC
Regina police official pleased with city's improved 2024 crime stats
The amount of crime and the severity of it in Regina decreased in 2024, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. Regina's crime severity index fell by 11 per cent in 2024. That stat measures the number of crimes reported by police per 100,000 people, combined with a weighted scale of how severe the crimes were. Regina now ranks 11th in the country for the crime severity index, compared to ninth a year ago. Regina ranked ninth for its crime rate in 2024, which decreased by seven per cent over the previous year. The city has consistently ranked above the national average for crime severity. "I can recall the days when Regina was No. 1 for crime severity and crime rate," said Regina Police Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies. "When we're not in the top five, that makes me happy," said Davies. "But it doesn't mean that we still don't have work to do because it would be great not to be in the top 20." Potential reasons behind decrease Davies said the city benefited from a national downward trend in crime, but that officers having higher visibility in the community was one reason for Regina's crime decrease. "We really value meeting with our stakeholders, meeting with communities so that we can discuss issues and work collaboratively together," said Davies. Overall, Davies said that most of the Canadian cities with high levels of crime are in Western Canada. In the Prairies, there are long-standing issues affecting marginalized and vulnerable people, which can lead to higher incarceration rates, said Davies. So far in 2025, Davies said Regina crime rates are down in all areas, except for arson, which she called "a pressure point." "For the most part, we are trending in a good direction right now," said Davies.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Calgary sees big decline in crime severity, now well below the national average
Alberta's crime severity index — a measure used by Statistics Canada to track the seriousness of crime across the country — fell sharply in 2024, while Calgary's index reached a near-historic low. "Crime was nine-per-cent less severe in Alberta in 2024 than it was in 2023," said Warren Silver, an analyst with StatsCan, which released the new figures Tuesday. He attributes the drop to fewer break-and-enters, thefts and sexual assaults across the province. "And additionally there were 19 fewer homicides in Alberta than the previous year," Silver said. The crime severity index for Calgary, specifically, fell by 14 per cent to 62.3. That's now well below the national average of 77.9, which marks a notable turnaround from five years earlier, when the city was well above the national average. Calgary's index is also near its lowest point ever recorded, which was 61.1 in 2014. Insp. Travis Juska with the Calgary Police Service says those numbers are encouraging, but he recognizes not all Calgarians necessarily feel safer. "Just because we've seen a decrease in certain amounts of property crime or violent crime, doesn't mean that a Calgarian might feel safe or unsafe in a setting that they are somewhere in the city," he said. The StatsCan data shows crime rates (measured in terms of incidents per 100,000 people) are generally down across most types of offences in Calgary. But the rate of violent crime, while down from 2023, remains significantly higher than it was at its low point in 2013. Crime severity also dropped significantly in Lethbridge, falling 19 per cent year-over-year to an index score of 105.5. Mayor Blaine Hyggen attributed the downward trend to recent investments in the city's police service, including 26 new police officers and four new peace officers who were sworn in last year. Lethbridge Police Service Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier said the city saw reductions in break and enters, mischief, and car theft, in particular. Red Deer also saw a big drop in its crime severity index, which was down 20 per cent year-over-year to 118.7. Edmonton, meanwhile, was down 5 per cent to 101.1. Despite these decreases, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Edmonton remained on the higher end of crime severity across the 40 cities that Statistics Canada tracks. The overall crime severity index for Alberta remained the third-highest of all the provinces, at 95.6. Only Manitoba, at 141.2, and Saskatchewan, at 153.9, were higher. StatsCan calculates the index by assigning all police-reported crimes a weight based on their seriousness, which is determined by actual sentences handed down by courts. More serious crimes are assigned higher weights, less serious offences are assigned lower weights. The year 2006 is taken as a baseline and assigned a national index score of 100.
