Crime rates drop in most provinces

The crime rate was down across the country and in most provinces for the fifth consecutive year in 2008, according to a Statistics Canada report released Tuesday in Ottawa.

There were about 77,000 fewer reported crimes in 2008, including 28,000 fewer thefts of $5,000 and under, 22,000 fewer break-ins and 20,000 fewer motor vehicle thefts, for a reduction in the overall national crime rate of five per cent.

The severity of police-reported crime also decreased in most provinces and territories with the exception of Prince Edward Island where despite an increase, the severity index was still the lowest in the country.

Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Alberta also showed slight increases in their severity indexes.

The severity index, introduced this year but applied to last year's data for comparison, is derived by assigning each type of offence a weight based on sentences handed down by courts in all provinces and territories. More serious crimes are assigned higher weights, and less serious offences are given lower weights. When all crimes are included, more serious offences have a greater impact on changes in the severity index.

Among the provinces, crime severity continued to be highest in the West. For example, Saskatchewan's level of 156 was well above the national index of 90 in 2008. Index values in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were more than double that of Saskatchewan. Prince Edward Island's index, despite having increased, was the lowest in the country at 68.

Violent crimes, which account for one in five crimes reported to police, also dropped, but to a lesser extent. There were 3,500 fewer reported violent incidents in 2008, including 2,000 fewer robberies.

Homicides, which make up less than one per cent of violent crime, were one of the few violent crimes to increase in 2008.

Police reported a total of 611 homicide victims, an increase of 17 from 2007. While the homicide rate rose two per cent in 2008, it has been relatively stable over the past decade.

Manitoba reported a rate of 4.5 homicides per 100,000 population in 2008, the highest among the provinces. New Brunswick's rate of 0.4 was the lowest in that province in 40 years as well as the lowest in the country.