Province Leads Canada’s Crime Severity Index for 25th Year
Crime statistics for Canada have been released and Saskatchewan remains number one for its high crime rates.
Last week, the RCMP shared the results of its Crime Severity Index, which measures both the volume and severity of crime in the reported area.
RCMP assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore stated, “The reality of the situation is that crime continues to increase across the Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.”
The RCMP reported increases in both the rate and severity of crime. According to the report, homicides have increased by 275 percent, the number of violent firearm offenses has increased by 271 percent, assaults on officers have increased by 79 percent, and the number of assaults has increased by 33 percent.
Efforts to increase recruitment are underway, and Blackmore mentioned that the province has funded a full complement of police officers. She also emphasized that the force is working more proactively to improve its visibility in communities.
This marks the 25th year in a row that Saskatchewan has topped the crime severity index, indicating that the province experiences more violent crime than any other province.
Blackmore emphasized the Saskatchewan RCMP’s collaboration with partners to address the situation, stating, “The Saskatchewan RCMP is dedicated to continuing to work with our partner agencies to ensure we can support and contribute to positive change in Saskatchewan. It goes without saying that each community is different and has unique policing needs; ongoing partnerships and collaboration with local leadership allow us to identify what challenges the community is faced with.”
The RCMP provides policing to 99 percent of the province.
Local police in the province also released their crime statistics this week.
Saskatoon police reported an increase of just over one percent in overall crime numbers. Non-violent crime had virtually no change, but violent crime rose by almost three and a half percent, with 8,730 crimes reported in Saskatoon last year—a five percent increase from 2022.
Regina police shared their crime, showing a rise in crime last year of three percent and an increase in crime severity of two percent.
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