Serious crime reported to P.E.I. police takes a big jump

The Crime Severity Index on Prince Edward Island rose almost 20 per cent in 2019 for the second year in a row.

Statistics Canada released the latest index, measuring both the volume and severity of crimes reported to the police, on Thursday morning.

The index was set at 100 for Canada as a whole in 2006. P.E.I.'s level had dropped to below 50 in the years following that benchmark, but in the most recent year analyzed by federal statisticians, the Island's index rose to 64.03.

The index for youth on P.E.I., after tracking roughly along the same line as the overall index from 2007 to 2014, fell well below the total index in 2015 and has held steady.

The national Crime Severity Index is also on the rise, but is not climbing as quickly as P.E.I.'s.

The report included a breakdown of the crimes reported by police.

Overall, the number of incidents reported to police on Prince Edward Island was up 33.1 per cent from 2017 to 2019.

The report shows double-digit increases in a number of serious crime categories, including assaults and sexual assaults, and sexual crimes against children. There was also an increase in uttering threats, criminal harassment, and indecent/harassing communications.

But the largest increase was in impaired driving.

In contrast, the number of drug offences on P.E.I. has been falling.

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