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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Canada's crime rate is decreasing, but not in the Northwest Territories, according to data recently released by Statistics Canada.

Numbers from the report reveal that the Crime Severity Index (CSI), which is used to calculate the severity of crime, stayed the same in the Northwest Territories between 2010 and 2011.

"The territories and western provinces continued to report higher CSI values compared with those in the central and eastern portions of the country," the report stated.

Canada's CSI decreased by nearly 30 per cent since 2001.

In the Northwest Territories, incidents of crime increased to 3,311 incidents in 2010 from 1,957 incidents in 1998, according to the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics.

RCMP Sgt. Wes Heron said it's important to remember that statistics change from year to year. In 2010, Statistics Canada reported instances of crime in the NWT had decreased four per cent from 2008 to 2009. At the time, it was still the highest rate in Canada.

Heron said a variety of factors could contribute to the higher rate, such as alcohol abuse.

"Alcohol abuse could and does contribute to people becoming involved with the law," he said.

The 2006 Northwest Territories Addiction Survey found that nearly 60 per cent of respondents had been, "insulted or humiliated, pushed or shoved, had a serious argument or quarrel, experienced family or marriage problems, or had been verbally abused or physically assaulted in the past year by someone who had been drinking."

Heron said for some communities, an influx of wealth from employment at the territory's mines, for example, can increase crime.

"Like anywhere else in Canada, where there is prosperity there are maladies," he said.

On the other hand, lack of employment can have the same effect.

"If you're living in a small community where the economy is low, if people have time on their hands, there is a good chance they're going to get involved with the law," Heron said.

Heron said the key to reducing crime is education, both for community residents and RCMP officers.

Programs such as the Aboriginal Shield Program, which educates youth about the dangers of substance abuse, are now in place in Ndilo and Fort Providence. The DARE program is also in place in 12 communities throughout the territory. Programs implemented by the territorial government and other agencies, such as those that address domestic violence, are also important.

For officers, Heron said learning about the community and its people is vital.

"Understanding the culture and the client and how people think and what they value is an important first step in trying to address crime," he said.

New RCMP officers must meet with councils, bands, elders, youth and other groups when they arrive in a community. They must also get the signature of the people they meet with to ensure meetings have taken place.

"This is not just saying, 'Oh I did it,' the people they meet with have to actually sign a document that they had a meeting with these individuals," Heron said. "There's a lot of accountability."

Officers also take an online course about aboriginal culture. The course is mandatory, Heron said.

"It's not something they can tuck away in the corner of their desk, they have to have it," he said.

Recognizing that not all communities and cultures in the territory are the same is also essential, he added.

"If you transferred from Fort Smith to Paulatuk, both communities are in the NWT, but one is in the south and one is in the Arctic islands," he said. "There are cultural differences that are very significant and it's important to understand those differences in order to understand the communities. That will help them to understand some of the crime that goes on in the community."

Heron said building strong connections between RCMP officers and community members plays a huge role in preventing crime.

"Getting involved with youth, getting involved in community activities, a lot of that is very much, from a policing perspective, a great deterrent for people," he said.

Ultimately, Heron said reducing crime is an ongoing process.

"This stuff takes time," he said.

- with files from Paul Bickford

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