Victoria's crime severity index highest out of all B.C. municipal police agencies in 2020: StatCan
Victoria's crime severity index (CSI) score was the highest out of all municipal police agencies in B.C. in 2020, according to newly released data from Statistics Canada.
The CSI is calculated based on the number of police calls in a community and the severity of each reported crime.
On Tuesday, Statistics Canada released its crime severity index, which placed Victoria's CSI at 168 points. It is the highest score out of B.C.'s 13 municipal police agencies and well above the provincial average score of 96.
"The newly released Statistics Canada data reflects a severity of crime in the City of Victoria that is unacceptable," said Victoria Police Chief Del Manak in a statement Tuesday.
"Our department is committed to doing everything we can to reduce Victoria’s crime severity index, and I look forward to working with our partners in the region to achieve this goal," he said.
Manak added that despite the rise on the index, he was "proud of the work of our officers who continue to respond to a number of high-priority, resource-intensive calls on a daily basis with an unwavering dedication to public safety."
July 27, 2021 (Victoria Police)
(Victoria Police)
CSI INCREASE BY CENSUS METROPOLITAN AREAS
On Tuesday, Statistics Canada also released its measurement of CSI per census metropolitan areas (CMA). Census metropolitan areas cover a broader geographic range. In Victoria's case, the Victoria CMA includes all municipalities in the Capital Regional District.
The Victoria census metropolitan area CSI was calculated at 76 points this year, just above the national average of 73.4, according to Statistics Canada.
The total marks a three per cent increase compared to 2019, and marks the fourth largest increase out of all census metropolitan areas across the country.
According to Statistics Canada, most CMAs across Canada saw a decrease in their CSI during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was not true across the board.
The largest CSI increases per census metropolitan area were seen in three Ontario cities followed by Victoria in 2020, with a 14 per cent rise in Peterborough, a seven per cent rise in Greater Sudbury and a four per cent rise in Kingston.
CITY CSI COMPARED TO CENSUS METROPOLITAN AREA CSI
The Victoria Police Department says it believes the steep rise in the city's CSI compared to the census metropolitan area's CSI is due to a higher concentration of activity in the downtown core compared to other communities in the Capital Regional District.
The police department says it faces the brunt of the region's social disorder concerns compared to other CRD communities that are "primarily suburban municipalities."
"As the jurisdiction with the highest urban density in the region, the largest number of liquor seats, the significant majority of multi-unit residential temporary housing facilities, and being the provincial capital of B.C., Victoria is a unique, urban policing environment," said the police department.
VicPD says it continues to support amalgamation with other CRD police departments, a move that would better "unify" resources in the region, according to Victoria police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.