Based on 2017 numbers released by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, North Battleford again finds itself at the top of the Crime Severity Index for communities over 10,000 population in Canada.
According to a release from the Battlefords RCMP and the Saskatchewan RCMP, the overall crime rate remained essentially unchanged in North Battleford, dropping by 0.3 per cent, however the Crime Severity Index increased slightly by 1.9 per cent, primarily due to the number of break and enter and mischief complaints. The Violent Crime Severity Index was up almost 14 per cent driven by increases in robbery and firearms-related occurrences.
These numbers are, of course, highly concerning for the Battlefords RCMP, states the release.
“We are working hard to be responsive to these kinds of statistics and the impact they have on our community by focusing our efforts and targeting our resources.”
The following initiatives are listed:
• A focus on intelligence-led policing by collecting and analyzing information/data to conduct strategic patrols and deploy resources effectively.
• Based on intelligence, enforcement is targeted to disrupt gang and drug activity or track prolific offenders. The Crime Reduction Team that was introduced in early 2018 has focused on this type of policing and has conducted multiple operations in the Battlefords area with positive results.
• Working with communities and other agencies to develop partnerships and programs to prevent and reduce crime (Rural Crime Watch, Community Safety Planning).
While these efforts are proving effective, policing is only one part of the solution to a problem that is multi-layered and complex, states the release. In the Battlefords detachment area, much of the crime being committed has its roots in social issues such as addictions, poverty, family breakdown and sub-standard housing.
“We cannot arrest our way out of these issues. We must stop the cycle of using the police to arrest and incarcerate people with addictions and mental health issues,” says Insp. John Sutherland, Battlefords RCMP Detachment commander.
“We must work together to collectively address the root causes of crime. Many of the associated issues are not necessarily law enforcement issues.”
Certainly, says the release, "police have a role to play and the RCMP is committed to working with our partner agencies, local governments and other stakeholders to develop joint, long-term strategies to address these issues in our communities. Unless we continue to develop this long-term response we will be facing the same challenges for years to come."
This is why community engagement is one of the RCMP’s top priorities.
“We can serve as a common link across communities and agencies to explore and implement solutions to address these issues,” says Sutherland.
In North Battleford, the detachment has developed and continues to work on a collaborative long-term community safety plan that spans all communities in the detachment area. The path to healing in communities can only be walked together, with everyone taking responsibility for the challenges faced and working together to build stronger, healthier communities, the release emphasizes.
The Crime Severity Index is a measure of police-reported crime that reflects the relative seriousness of individual offences and tracks changes in crime severity. It was first introduced in 2009 and was developed at the request of the policing community to address limitations to the traditional crime rate. It is available back to 1998.
It complements two other measures of crime: the police-reported crime rate, which measures the volume of crime, and victimization survey data, which measure Canadians’ experiences of crime.
The release from RCMP states, when it comes to CSI or crime severity, it’s important to remember that a few, serious crimes at the higher end of that spectrum can skew the numbers in low-population areas. For example, one or two additional aggravated assaults in Saskatoon (pop. 240,000) will hardly register on the index, whereas a handful of serious crimes in a smaller community like North Battleford will push the CSI numbers up.
Also, increased, targeted enforcement — while helping to control the criminal element engaged in serious crime — can have a negative effect on the CSI. When enforcement of serious crime is increased so are the charges and severity of court sentences thus contributing to an increase in the CSI.
