Calgary’s crime rate drops amid plunge in robberies

Kelowna, Regina lead nation with highest rates

Robberies in Calgary dropped significantly in 2012, driving down the city’s police-reported violent crime rate, according to a new Statistics Canada report.

The report, released on Thursday, shows that Calgary’s robbery rate plunged by 23 per cent, from 1,184 incidents reported by police in 2011 to 937 in 2012.

Between 2008 and 2012, the robbery rate dropped 34 per cent.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a single reason for the decline, said Katie McLellan, acting deputy chief with the Calgary Police Service.

“There are things like possible changes in demographic factors, social factors, maybe neighbourhood characteristics, legislative amendments,” McLellan said. “Things like that can have an impact.”

As Calgary’s latest census figures point to a city that continues to grow, there were drops in nearly every crime category, as evidenced by Thursday’s report.

Calgary’s total crime rate, which measures the volume of offences per 100,000 population, fell six per cent in 2012 compared to the year before.

Violent crimes, property crimes, drug offences and other criminal code offences all saw decreases. Only motor vehicle thefts saw a slight bump of one per cent.

In terms of the crime severity index, a measure that attributes more weight to the most severe offences to rank and compare crime, Calgary’s was 60.5, below Edmonton’s index of 85, Alberta’s index of 84.6 and the national average of 75.

“We’re obviously satisfied with the continued decline in crime, but it’s not time for us to take our foot off the accelerator,” McLellan said. “We need to continue to be diligent, proactive, preventive, and work with

We’re obviously satisfied with the continued decline in crime, but it’s not time for us to take our foot off the accelerator

KATIE MCLELLAN, ACTING CALGARY DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF

citizens and partners.”

She raised concerns with underreporting, urging victims of crimes to come forward.

Overall, crime rates and crime severity were down across the country. Both fell by three per cent in 2012.

“After peaking in 1991, the policerelated crime rate has followed a downward trend, and, in 2012, reached its lowest level since 1972,” the report said, adding the national crime severity index dropped 28 per cent since 2002.

Doug King, criminologist with Mount Royal University, said the falling crime rate in Canada, with year-to-year fluctuations in different categories, is no surprise.

“The Canadian crime rate has dropped 40 per cent in the last 20 years,” King said. “It’s been pretty consistent year to year to year since 1991.”

The main reason is the demographic shift in Canadian society, he said, noting that most crime is committed by individuals between 15 and 25 years of age.

“We’re an aging population. We can expect to see crime in Canada to continue to drop probably for another five to 10 years. Then it’ll start to plane out again.”

Kelowna and Regina had the highest crime rates, Toronto and Quebec City the lowest. Winnipeg had the highest violent crime severity index and the second-highest homicide rate, second only to Thunder Bay.

Violent crimes that went up included offences causing death other than homicide, extortion, violent firearm offences and sexual violations against children.

Among non-violent crimes, identity fraud was among the few that rose.

There were also 114 terrorismrelated incidents reported in 2012, 55 more than the year before. But the report attributed that to “an unusually high number of hoax terrorism incidents,” mostly from the Quebec student demonstrations in the spring.