Reported crime dips, trend holds steady
Statistics Canada data shows crime severity drops to lowest level in more than 10 years
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The number of serious crimes such as sexual assaults, assaults, break-and-enters and thefts dropped last year to the lowest level in recent years, but the total number of police reported crimes remains roughly on par.
Last month, Statistics Canada released data on police reported crime in 2014. Each year, police forces across the country submit statistics about various categories of criminal incidents to the national agency.
The data is not necessarily representative of what's actually taking place in the city because it only reflects crime reported to and substantiated by police.
The total number of incidents of crime reported in the city last year dropped to 7,443, down from 8,000 in 2013. That brings it back to the level seen in other recent years.
There was a crime spike in a number of categories two years ago - from mischief to sexual assaults to break and enters. That trend reversed last year.
But that doesn't mean less work for RCMP officers, said Const. Elenore Sturko.
"I don't think the day-to-day workload of an RCMP officer in the North has decreased," she told Yellowknifer when discussing trends in the data. When there are fewer calls for service, she said officers can focus on other priorities that elected leaders have asked to be prioritized. That includes more patrols downtown or on the McMahon Frame Lake Trail.
Over the last five years, the number of mischief incidents has climbed from more than 2,000 to more than 3,000. In the same time period, the number of incidents of disturbing the peace went from more than 1,900 to more than 2,400.
Sturko said without further analysis, it's impossible to say whether that's because of more patrols in problem spots that are catching people committing crimes or an actual increase in the number of incidents.
Following meetings last fall, there was a big push to bring back Crime Stoppers, something deputy mayor Linda Bussey believes will help address crime in the city.
Council in the city and other communities receive a monthly report from RCMP regarding the number of incidents in the previous month.
Bussey said it helps council keep an eye on issues of concern and, when an officer comes to council to present the report, gives councillors a chance to talk about any issues they see or hear.
"I think it's a great way for us to stay in reality mode and know what's happening," she said.
"It's a good opportunity to check in on how things are going," Sturko said about the monthly reports, but added it takes more analysis to figure out what drives trends.
While the number of crimes has dropped, the crime rate still remains well above the national rate.
In 2014, the city's crime rate per 100,000 people was 36,241.9. That compares with a rate of 5,046.5 nationally.
As well as the number of incidents, Statistics Canada releases a measure of the severity of crime. Violent crimes are given a higher weight than crimes against property for the crime severity index.
In 2014, the city had a crime severity index of 198.10, reaching the lowest level since the index data became available in 2003.
