Canada’s Crime Rate Statistics Are In

The police-reported crime rate which measures the overall volume of crime that came to the attention of police, continued a long-term decline in 2012, falling 3% from 2011. Canadian police services reported almost 2 million criminal incidents (excluding traffic) in 2012, about 36,000 fewer than in 2011. After peaking in 1991, police-reported crime has followed a downward trend, and, in 2012, reached its lowest level since 1972.

Changes from 2011

Violent crime down 3%
Property crime down 3%
Child pornography down 3%
Terrorism down 91%
Extortion up 11%
Identity fraud up 5%
Possession of cocaine up 5%
Trafficking, production and distribution of cocaine up 3%

And the winner is….

Toronto reported a 7% decrease in its police-reported crime rate in 2012 and had the lowest crime rate for the sixth consecutive year. Québec had the second lowest rate, and it recorded the lowest CSI.

 
 
 
 

The loser is ….

Reporting a 6% increase in its rate, Kelowna had the highest crime rate in 2012. There were 8,875 crimes committed for every 100,000 people in Kelowna on 2012. Violent offences against people like assaults and murders have gone down by 2.5 per cent but property crime rose by a skyrocketing 13.5 per cent.

 
 

Is eastern Canada safer than western Canada?

Cities reporting the lowest rate of crime by census metropolitan area in 2012

1.Toronto – 3.1
2.Quebec – 3.2
3.Sherbrooke – 3.9
4.Saguenay, Ottawa, Guelph – 4.1
5.Trois-Rivières and Hamilton – 4.2
6.St. Catharines-Niagara/Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo/Montreal, Barrie – 4.5

1.Victoria and Abbotsford/Mission – 6.1
2.Edmonton – 6.8
3.Vancouver – 7
4.Saskatoon – 8.5
5.Regina – 8.7
6.Kelowna – 8.9

Police-reported crime severity index by province or territory in 2012

1.Ontario – 58.4
2.Quebec – 70.71
3.Nunavut – 325.57
4.New Brunswick – 68.41
5.Nova Scotia – 76.48
6.PEI – 72.62

1.Newfoundland and Labrador – 69.62
2.Northwest Territories – 340.98
3.Yukon – 156.69

1.Alberta – 85.59
2.Manitoba – 112.41
3.Saskatchewan – 139.00
4.British Columbia – 93.35