By Adam Berls

crime

Crime statistics show Prince George ranks the highest on severity index

Jan 17, 2023 | 3:53 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — If you were to take a look at the top 10 biggest municipalities in BC none of them would be at the top of list for crime severity. The top spot goes to Prince George currently.

In 2021, Prince George topped the charts of the Crime Severity Index in BC, with a rating of 223.92, to give some perspective, Vancouver only had a rating of 90.11, and Surrey only hit 85.98. While the crime severity index is down from the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it has fluctuated over the years.

The index is down from 2020, but we are not yet sure what the numbers for 2022 will look like yet. Prince George-Mackenzie MLA and opposition public safety critic Mike Morris says that this is an issue that is by no means unique to Prince George.

Over the last two to three years, non-violent crime in Prince George has decreased, but between 2020 and 2021, violent crime increased by eleven percent. When you compare the numbers to municipalities that are larger than Prince George, the numbers for violent and non-violent crime are larger than a municipality that is the size of Victoria for instance.

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The crime severity index monitors the severity level of police reported crime. According to Stats Canada, the index measures the overall seriousness of crime from one year to the next by tracking both the prevalence of crime within a community, and the seriousness of the crimes committed. Morris says that changing trends and policies are also important factors to consider.

With a focus on bail reform, provinces want Ottawa to do more, but as we know, the criminal justice system does not move fast and as the stats show, crime and the numbers surrounding it, is always ever changing.