Today’s Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, or CCJS, report entitled, ““Police Reported Crime Statistics in Canada, 2015” shows that Regina, like many other Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas, experienced an increase in police-reported crime and crime severity last year.
Regina – 2014 to 2015 comparisons:
| Crime Severity Index – 2014 | Crime Severity Index – 2015 | % change & ranking among CMAs | Crime Rate – 2014 | Crime Rate – 2015 | % change & ranking among CMAs |
| 102.8 | 107.6 | +5%, #2 | 7858 | 8146 | +3%, #3 |
Of note, for the second year in a row, Regina is not in top spot among CMAs for Crime Rate and Crime Severity. (In past years, Regina has led CMAs in both categories.) Also, in the past eleven years, 2005 to 2015, Regina has had the second largest decrease in the Crime Severity Index with a 48% reduction. Only Halifax (-51%) had a bigger decrease.
The report was released today, Wednesday, July 20th and compares crime statistics across Canada’s 33 Census Metropolitan Areas, or CMAs. This year, for the first time since 2003, the figures show a slight increase in Canada’s crime rate, expressed as an average of the 33 CMAs. The 2015 statistics confirm that, although Regina had an increase of 5% in Crime Severity, it is less than the increases in most other western Canadian CMAs: Calgary (29%), Edmonton (16%), Victoria (16%), Kelowna (9%) and Winnipeg (8%). Only Saskatoon (2%) and Vancouver (1%) had smaller increases among western CMAs. Last year, Regina was able to say that crime is at its lowest level since 1991, when Statistics Canada began its current method of collection and comparison of crime data. This year is the first time since 2004 that Regina has experienced a year-over-year increase in crime.
“Despite these modest increases, we feel these numbers continue to show some very positive gains over the long term,” said Mayor Michael Fougere. “Crime severity, violent crime rate, robberies, and break and enters have seen some of the biggest reductions in the whole country over the last 10 years. Our strategic initiatives have a history of success and we will continue to work with community partners every day.”
“Today’s report has some encouraging points. Our increase in crime is modest, relative to other major centres. Our national standing hasn’t changed,” said Acting Chief Dean Rae. “Property crime remains a pressure point for us but we’ll keep making the adjustments to use our available resources effectively.”
The attached supplemental report highlights the year-over-year comparisons of crime in Regina, expressed as overall Total Crime Rate and Crime Severity Index. There are also graphs illustrating an eleven-year (2005-2015) statistical picture in Regina, showing Regina-to-Regina comparisons in overall crime rate and selected crime categories. To assist the reader:
A Census Metropolitan Area, or CMA, refers to an urban core and its surrounding area with:
o a total population of 100,000 or more,
o and at least 50,000 people residing within the urban core itself.
The Regina CMA includes the City of Regina as well as the communities of Lumsden, Regina Beach, Belle Plaine, Pense, Rowatt, Richardson, White City, Pilot Butte, Balgonie and Edenwold.
The CCJS report presents statistics showing Crime Rate, which is a measure of the number of crimes per 100,000 population within a given period of time. Total Crime Rate is further divided into categories to indicate Violent Crime Rate and Property Crime Rate.
Since 2009, Statistics Canada has also adopted the Crime Severity Index which compares both volume and seriousness of offences between regions. Unlike the Crime Rate, the Crime Severity Index accounts for the seriousness of crime by assigning crime types“weights” based on conviction rates and lengths of sentences – a Homicide would therefore have a much greater effect on the Crime Severity Index than a single Theft. The Crime Severity Index is also comprised of two categories: the Violent Crime Severity Index and the Non-violent Crime Severity Index.
The accompanying report summarizes the changes in Crime Rate and Crime Severity, and the Violent and Non-Violent categories of each, for the Regina CMA from 2013 to 2014. The report also shows trends over an eleven-year period (2005-2015) in the Regina CMA for Crime Rate and Crime Severity (and the sub-categories of Violent and Non-Violent crime) as well as selected crime classes.
