Saskatchewan has the highest Crime Severity Index (CSI) in Canada, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics鈥� (CCJS), which released its statistics Oct. 29.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 CSI increased by 5.40 per cent in 2019, from 140.59 in 2018 to 148.18 in 2019.
The province鈥檚 Violent Crime Severity Index (VCSI) also increased by 21.12 per cent, jumping from 141.16 in 2018 to 170.97 in 2019.
The province鈥檚 non-violent crime, however, dropped by 0.31 per cent, from 140.06 in 2018 to 139.63 in 2019.
Quebec was the only province to report a lower CSI (-one per cent). The types of offences driving increases in the CSI across the provinces and territories varied from fraud, child pornography, homicide, and breaking and entering.
The largest increases in the CSI were recorded in the CMAs of Kelowna (+20 per cent), Victoria (+16 per cent), Belleville (+13 per cent) and Vancouver (+11 per cent).
Around Saskatchewan
Regina had the third highest CSI in 2019 among Canada鈥檚 35 census metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 or more. Lethbridge had the highest CSI, followed by Winnipeg.
Saskatoon dropped from fourth to fifth in 2019. Saskatoon鈥檚 CSI measure was 117.3 in 2019, down slightly from 2018鈥檚 117.78. But Saskatoon鈥檚 violent crime severity rating jumped by almost 24 per cent, hitting 134.73 in 2019, up from 109.03 in 2018.
North Battleford drops in crime ranking
North Battleford dropped to number four in CSI ranking in communities of 10,000 or more.
Crime, however, continues to be an issue. North Battleford鈥檚 CSI increased by 13.42 per cent in 2019 compared with only a 3.95 per cent increase in 2018. It鈥檚 CIS was 437.70 and 385.92 in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
North Battleford had a whopping 46.87 per cent increase in its Violent Crime Severity Index (VCSI) jumping from 377.77 in 2018 to 554.83 in 2019.
The non-violent crime in North Battleford only increased 1.70 per cent in 2019.
Homicide rate increases in the Prairie Provinces
Nationally, the increase in homicides was driven by Saskatchewan (+21), Alberta (+19), and Manitoba (+17). There were fewer homicides in Ontario (-26) and Quebec (-6).
Police reported聽a two per cent increase in homicides with 678聽homicides in聽2019,聽compared with 658 in 2018.聽
Homicide rate for Indigenous peoples 6.5 times higher than for non-Indigenous people
The homicide rate for Indigenous peoples (First Nation, M茅tis and Inuit) was six and a half times higher (8.82聽homicides per聽100,000聽population) than for Canada's non-Indigenous population (1.34聽per聽100,000聽population). Indigenous peoples accounted for聽five per cent of Canada's population, but聽27 per cent of all homicide victims nationally in聽2019.
Police reported聽174聽Indigenous homicide victims in聽2019,聽33聽more than in聽2018.
Colonization, residential schools, work camps and forced relocation, have profoundly impacted Indigenous communities and families, Statistics Canada said when releasing the numbers.
鈥淚ndigenous peoples often experience social and institutional marginalization, discrimination, and various forms of trauma and violence鈥攊ncluding intergenerational trauma and gender-based violence. As a result, many Indigenous peoples experience challenging social and economic circumstances. These factors play a significant role in the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system and as victims of crime.鈥�
Crime decreases on Onion Lake Cree Nation
Onion Lake Cree Nation鈥檚 CSI measure decreased in 2019 by 14.5 per cent, dropping from 905.58 in 2018 to 774.4 in 2019.
Onion Lake鈥檚 violent crime severity index also decreased. It went from 1,098.36 in 2018 to 903.58 in 2019, which translates into a 17.73 per cent decrease.
Onion Lake鈥檚 non-violent crime dropped by 12.99 per cent going from 834.10 in 2018 to 725.76 in 2019.
Gang related homicides increase
The number of firearm-related (+10) and gang-related (+6) homicides increased in聽2019. Handguns accounted for most firearm-related homicides (60 per cent), which has been the case since聽1995. Handguns also accounted for the majority (78 per cent) of gang-related homicides committed with a firearm.
More sexual assaults reported
The #MeToo movement is attributed for the notable increase in police-reported sexual assaults in the last three years.
In聽2019, police-reported sexual assaults rose聽seven per cent, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase.
Significant increase in police-reported child pornography
The national rate of police-reported child pornography increased by聽46 per cent. Police reported聽8,815聽incidents in聽2019,聽2,881聽more than in 2018. The huge rise and severity of incidents of child pornography made child pornography the second leading offence driving the national increase in the CSI in聽2019.
More offences related to harassing and threatening behaviours
The rates of many types of criminally harassing and threatening behaviours rose sharply in聽2019. In particular, criminal harassment (+17 per cent in the rate per聽100,000聽population, +3,634聽incidents), uttering threats (+20 per cent rate, +14,555聽incidents), indecent or harassing communications (+29 per cent rate, +5,517聽incidents), and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images (+31 per cent rate, +489聽incidents) all increased from a year earlier. Uttering threats was the largest contributor to the national increase in the Violent Crime Severity Index in聽2019.
Police-reported fraud increases
Nationally, the rate of police-reported fraud (including identity theft and identity fraud) increased for the eighth year in a row, up聽10 per cent from聽2018聽and聽64 per cent higher than the rate recorded a decade earlier.
According to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre, there were聽19,285聽victims of fraud in聽2019聽and more than $98聽million lost due to fraud.
Increase in shoplifting
Police reported more than聽140,200聽incidents of shoplifting (373聽incidents per聽100,000聽population) in聽2019, up聽11 per cent from聽2018.
There were large increases in the rate of shoplifting in Manitoba (+48 per cent), Alberta (+37 per cent) and British Columbia (+18 per cent).
Police-reported meth offences increase
A number of police services have indicated that the illicit use of methamphetamine (crystal meth) is a growing issue in their communities and may be contributing to increases in other types of crime, including property and violent crimes.
There were聽14,446聽methamphetamine offences in Canada in聽2019, up three per cent from the previous year.
Effects of COVID-19 on crime to be determined
The police-reported crime statistics from聽2019聽don鈥檛 reflect the impacts in Canada by the COVID-19聽pandemic. The 2020 police-reported data will identify possible changes in Canadian crime patterns as a result of the pandemic.
Canada鈥檚 crime rate lower than decade ago
The police-reported crime rate, which measures the volume of crime, increased seven per cent in聽2019聽to聽5,874聽incidents per聽100,000聽Canadians. Even with this increase, the crime rate in聽2019聽was聽nine per cent lower than a decade ago.
Police reported more than聽2.2聽million Criminal Code incidents in聽2019,聽164,748聽more than in聽2018.
The CSI measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada. The CSI tracks changes in the severity of police-reported crime from year to year. It considers the change in volume of a particular crime and the relative seriousness of that crime in comparison to other crimes.
