Severity of crime drops in St. John’s

Sexual assault reports decreased in St. John’s but increased in most other Canadian cities

It might seem like crime in Newfoundland and Labrador is growing more severe, but according to data published by Statistics Canada this week, that’s not true.

As a matter of fact, Newfoundland and Labrador’s crime severity index (CSI) saw the biggest decrease in the country in 2017: nine per cent for the province in total and 15 per cent for St. John’s over 2016, while the Canada-wide index increased by two per cent.

Lower rates of break-ins were a driving factor in the decrease, Statistics Canada noted.

The Crime Severity Index was developed by Statistics Canada nine years ago in an effort to better analyze policereported crime data. Where the regular crime rate gives the same weight to every crime, the Crime Severity Index assigns weights to crimes based on the sentences they earn upon conviction. Murder is the heaviest crime, while cannabis possession is the lightest.

Canada’s overall CSI last year was 80. Newfoundland and Labrador’s was 63.

There were 31,781 incidents of crime in the province in 2017, according to Statistics Canada, representing a 7.4 per cent decrease in the crime rate over the previous year. Of those incidents, about 12 per cent were unfounded.

In St. John’s, there were 11,974 incidents, representing a decrease in the crime rate of 9.2 per cent.

“We are pleased to see the decrease in the overall CSI in the St. John’s area, as this is the largest municipality within our jurisdiction,” RNC Chief Joe Boland told The Telegram in an emailed statement. “We have been working closely with stakeholders to build stronger relationships within our communities, which is certainly a factor in the decrease of certain crimes.”

The Labrador community of Sheshatshiu had one of the highest total crime rates in the province, and the fourth-highest crime rate in the country: a startling rate of 107,293.27 per 100,000 people. This was a decrease of more than 18 per cent over 2016.

Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest rate of firearm-related violent offences in the country (14.4 per 100,000 people) and the third-lowest rate of drug crimes (189.1).

Also notable in the statistics were this province’s numbers when it comes to sexual assault. There was an increase in the number of police-reported sexual assaults in all metro areas of the country except for St. John’s (which saw a four per cent decrease); Barrie, Ont.; Winnipeg, Man.; and Saskatoon, Sask.

Provincially, there were 387 police-reported sexual assaults in 2017. Of those, 11.9 per cent were deemed unfounded and 33.7 per cent were cleared by charge or otherwise. Nain had the fifth-highest rate of sexual assaults in the country.

Statistics Canada noted sexual assault is one of the crimes least likely to be reported to police, and said social media campaigns like #metoo raised awareness of the issue and a greater number of sexual assaults came to the attention of police in 2017 as a result.

“Considerable public discussion of issues around sexual violence, misconduct and police reporting took place in 2017, and this may have had an impact on the willingness of victims to report sexual assault incidents to police,” Statistics Canada wrote, pointing out that 2017 saw a renewed commitment from police to review their response to reports of sexual assault, including a review of files previously deemed unfounded.

“With respect to sexual assault reporting, many factors could influence statistics,” Boland said. “We continue to enhance our approach to sexual assault investigations, which includes better training for our officers and working closer with health care professionals. When victims have confidence in police, they are more likely to come forward.”

A spokeswoman from the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre did not return a request from The Telegram for comment on the statistics.