It is yet another abysmal performance for North Battleford atop the Stats Canada crime severity index.
North Battleford was once again first in Canada for crime severity by police service among cities over 10,000 population, finishing with a CSI score of 352.89 for the year 2016.
That is up from 327.22 the year before, for a percentage change in the CSI of 7.84 per cent and is the worst score that North Battleford has posted in the category over the previous five years.
Among communities of 10,000 or more, North Battleford finished ahead of the usual contenders: Thompson, Man., at 284.30, Prince Albert at 243.75 and Williams Lake, B.C., at 221.62.
On the non-violent Crime Severity Index, North Battleford posted an even worse score of 357.89 for 2016 – once again, the worst in the country for communities over 10,000. It was also the worst score for North Battleford since 2012, when it was 373.82.
As for the violent crime severity index, North Battleford posted a CSI of 337.13. The good news is this is down from 366.34 last year.
There is one other piece of good news in this category: it is not the worst showing in the country. Thompson, Man., finished at 414.95 in the category.
Those two positives were enough for city officials to issue a news release where they pointed to the success of their community safety efforts.
“City Council is very pleased to see a great reduction in violent crime in the community and thank everyone for their efforts,” said Mayor Ryan Bater in a statement.
“It is very good news that North Battleford is no longer the number 1 community in Canada for violent crime. We believe that is due in part to the increased patrols and added emphasis on Community Safety through our Community Safety Strategy.”
As for the high CSI and non-violent crime numbers, the city news release attributed those increases to crimes that are preventable: vehicles stolen because of keys left inside, items stolen from an unlocked vehicle, and items stolen from an unlocked garage or shed.
The city urged people to lock their doors and sheds and not leave valuables in their vehicles, as well as to get to know their neighbours. They also pointed to their public awareness campaign “Eyes That Care” and intend to send an information sheet to every household with information on how to combat these crimes.
As for Saskatchewan’s showing as a whole, it left a lot to be desired. The crime severity index was 148.84, an increase of 8.68 percent.
That is the worst showing for any province in the country, way ahead of Manitoba’s score of 114.44. It is also the worst score the province has posted over a five-year period of time.
Violent crime severity was also up 7.21 percent to 146.08, and non-violent crime severity was up 9.22 percent to 149.54.
Among metropolitan areas in the country, Regina and Saskatoon posted the worst crime severity index numbers, at 125.81 and 117.78, respectively.
In a news release issued by RCMP “F” division, they tried to put the best spin they could on the numbers.
In particular, they noted property crime in RCMP-policed areas has seen a steady decline over the last 10 months, beginning in August 2016. Property crime has dropped 10 per cent through the first six months of this year from the same time period in 2016, they said.
As for the province’s increase in the Crime Severity Index, the RCMP stated it was primarily driven by an increase in the number of homicides in the Division. Otherwise, the level of violent crime remained essentially unchanged.
