Economics may hike number of rural homicides

Highest murder rate in 39 years coincides with tougher conditions

Economic woes and the distance to medical help could be helping to drive homicide rates higher in rural Saskatchewan, says a University of Regina Department of Justice Studies professor.

Rick Ruddell, also the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan Chair in Police Studies, notes the province’s 2016 homicide rate of 4.69 per 100,000 population — reported in statistics released last week by Statistics Canada — is almost on par with the United States’ national average.

The number is more than enough to put this province in the unwanted top spot among Canadian provinces.

In comparing rates over the past 20 years, Ruddell — who recently authored a book entitled Policing Rural Canada: Police, Partners and Public Safety — pointed out homicide rates in this province have almost always been higher in rural areas than urban, although 2016 saw a big spike.

“And that can come from a number of reasons ...,” he said.

“Sometimes you just have these uncharacteristic years when you’re looking at homicide, especially in small jurisdictions. You get years where the numbers will spike, yet the amount of attempted murders is the same, and that could just be a function of luck and good medical care. When you’re living in the country and you’re an hour away from a trauma centre, or two hours or three hours, your mortality rates increase a little bit.”

He said another explanation could be economics. He noted Alberta’s rural homicide rate spiked two years ago, coinciding with the downturn in the oil industry.

“I think what we’re seeing in some of those cases, money becomes scarce, families are placed under a big stress because they’re used to living (with) a certain income and all of a sudden, everything disappears,” he said.

“It just creates a lot of stress for family.”

Alberta’s experience suggests Saskatchewan is not isolated in what was seen in 2016, when this province’s homicide rate hit its highest level in 39 years.

Ruddell said rural crime rates in general are typically higher in the three Prairie provinces when compared to urban crime rates, another reason homicide numbers are higher.

“When you find that places with property crime rates are high, assaults are high, generally the murder rate tends to climb as well,” he said.

He said — as evidenced by the StatCan report — gangs also play a role in the higher rural numbers. Plagued with high poverty, addictions and social issues, conditions are ripe on reserves for young men to join street gangs, the members of which can become both victims and perpetrators of homicide.

While the increased percentage of gang-related homicides could be partially blamed on more gang activity and violence, Ruddell said the way gangland homicides are reported and identified in statistics might also affect the increase.

One other disturbing trend is the larger number of fatal shootings, including gang-related shootings.

“Once you introduce firearms into the mix with these gangs, it really increases the lethal outcomes of these encounters,” he said.

The challenges for police, he said, is having to be everywhere in rural Saskatchewan when officers have many miles to cover and are stretched thin resource-wise.

Saskatchewan RCMP spokesman Staff Sgt. Rob Embree said the organization does what it can regarding the province’s high homicide rates, including through its gang suppression strategy.

“We’re aware that that’s happening and we’re basically trying to offset that to the best of our ability,” he said.

The strategy includes the use of specialized teams to conduct targeted enforcement based on intelligence the organization receives. Additional resources are brought in for measures — in consultation with the communities — like traffic stops that can lead to arrests on warrants and seizures. The RCMP also tracks and monitors habitual, offenders including gang members, allowing police to disrupt certain illegal activities when they occur.

Saskatchewan RCMP also works on the prevention side, including through programs, relationshipbuilding and working with partner agencies.

Once you introduce firearms into the mix with these gangs, it really increases the lethal outcomes of these encounters.