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P.A. labelled Canada’s third most violent city

Nov 24, 2017 | 11:00 AM

According to data compiled by Maclean’s, Prince Albert was rated third in the magazine’s Most Dangerous Places annual rankings.

The new list is essentially a rehash of Statistics Canada’s crime data released in July 2017. Amongst other Saskatchewan centres, Prince Albert’s overall crime severity index was higher than both Saskatoon and Regina, beaten only by North Battleford.

When broken into its constituent parts, Prince Albert ranked third across Canada in overall violent crime and youth crime, and fourth in firearms related offences. The city’s highest rankings were second places in both robberies and break and enters, trailing Winnipeg and North Battleford, respectively.

A high national ranking is, sadly, not new. Prince Albert’s crime rate jumped by 12 per cent according to StatsCanada data released between 2013 and 2014. The city ranked fifth in both 2011 and 2013 of populations of 10,000 or greater. In the past, P.A. police have attributed the city’s high crime rate to crystal meth, domestic violence, and wayward youth.