The stabbing death of a 19-year-old man in August, was one of six homicide investigations in the city in 2019. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Crime Stats

Community partnerships vital to solving gang problem, says P.A. police chief

Oct 30, 2020 | 4:01 PM

Gangs and guns are the leading causes of a sharp increase in homicides across Canada, according to Statistics Canada’s 2019 Crime Severity Index (CSI) Report released this week.

There were 678 homicides nationally, driven largely by increases in the prairie provinces: Saskatchewan (55), Alberta (100), and Manitoba (72). Prince Albert accounted for six homicides last year.

“We know we are not alone in dealing with higher rates of guns and gangs violence,” Police Chief Jon Bergen said Thursday during a press conference.

Bergen acknowledged charges have been laid in all six of those investigations.

“These most thorough investigations have observed contributing factors to include mental health, addictions, family welfare and gang violence,” he said.

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Bergen went on to explain partnerships between the Prince Albert Police Service and other agencies in the community will be vital to lowering the crime rate, and he listed work that’s been done with groups like Str8 Up, Prince Albert Grand Council, the YWCA, and the Indian Metis Friendship Centre. Bergen also explained work continues with the provincial gang reduction strategy.

“Our goal as a policing service is to always get ahead of crime through proactive policing rather than responding to crime after it has occurred,” he said.

Prince Albert homeowners and businesses have grown very frustrated with nuisance tagging.(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Acknowledging gang activity was a factor in Prince Albert’s violent crime rate last year, as well as now in 2020, Bergen said there are many pillars to the the gang reduction strategy including enforcement and suppression. He also explained another important piece of the puzzle is the work happening in the community.

“We are making referrals for the other supports and making sure the individuals have the programming supports they need to exit a gang and to change that lifestyle so they dont become involved in the criminal justice system to the extent they otherwise will,” Bergen said.

Crime on the rise across Canada

In 2019, nine provinces and all three territories reported a higher CSI compared with a year earlier, in fact Quebec was the only province to report a lower CSI, largely due to a decrease in breaking and entering.

While Prince Albert was ranked sixth overall in the country in terms of its CSI and third in terms of all its violent crime rate, Chief Bergen explained in a previous article the numbers provided for the report are not accurate.

The 2019 CSI statistics are based on a core population of 37,000 Prince Albert residents, rather than the actual number of calls for service. Figures from the City of Prince Albert show the retail population of the local community – or the number of people who come to the city for appointments, shopping and entertainment each day – is actually around 190,000 people.

“As we are all aware our officers are responding to about 36,000 calls a year and a high number of people we meet don’t even live in Prince Albert. We observed about 30 per cent of the individuals arrested charged are from outside our community,” he said.

Bergen added the police service serves a high number of people who are from rural areas or are transient and use the services of the city daily.

While the recent report from Statistics Canada does not reflect 2020 call numbers, a statement from the Prince Albert Police Service indicates members review statistics on a daily basis to study trends and ensure resources are being deployed in an accurate and effective manner.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell