Battlefords RCMP Inspector Jesse Gilbert and North Battleford Mayor David Gillan address the media on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Brad Best/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Teena Monteleone

Crime Severity Index

N.B. Mayor: ’Crime capital of Canada label short-sighted and oversimplified dismissal of deeper issues’

Jul 27, 2023 | 5:47 PM

The Crime Severity Index (CSI) does not accurately represent whether a community is ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe.’

That was the message from City of North Battleford Mayor David Gillan and Inspector Jesse Gilbert of Battlefords RCMP during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

In a news release issued ahead of the conference, the city wrote, “To state that North Battleford is the ‘crime capital of Canada’ or to refer to it as ‘Crime Town,’ as it has been mischaracterized for many years, is a short-sighted and oversimplified dismissal of what are much deeper societal issues impacting much of Saskatchewan.”

The CSI is primarily used to help city governments in determining funding and resource allocation for police services. A community’s total offense weighting is divided by their population to establish their Crime Severity Index rating. Violent crimes such as homicides, weapons offenses, and person-to-person crimes such as assaults are more heavily weighted. The numbers are typically reported on communities with populations of 10,000 or more. North Battleford’s population is just over 14,000. Gillan said being compared to cities like Toronto, which has a population 200 times greater, can seriously skew the CSI numbers.

“So, we need to be really fair and understand that smaller communities in the CSI index face more sensitivity in these numbers. I think if you look at the top ten in that list of overall Crime Severity Index in Canada, I think its fair to say most of the communities in there would be smaller than forty-thousand…so that tells you something about how the index is prepared and how smaller communities are affected,” he said.

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The CSI’s most recent report ranks North Battleford first out of 330 communities with an overall CSI value of 557.1 compared to the national average of 78.1. Prince Albert ranked fourth on the list with an overall CSI of 302.2. Saskatoon was 38^th on the list with a value of 128.9. Meadow Lake’s population doesn’t meet the threshold for the rankings list, but its overall CSI is 327.43.

Insp. Gillan assured the public that the community is safe despite the CSI values increasing for both violent and non-violent offences. He noted the major drivers of North Battleford’s high rate in the last few years have been minor and non-violent crimes like mischief, theft, trespassing, and files related to the administration of justice, breach of probation and bench warrants.

“A lot of the violent crimes we see within the city are committed amongst people in the area that are known to each other,” said Insp.Gilbert. “And I think that speaks to the overall level of community safety when it comes to discussing violent crime in the area.”

The city said enforcement levels and resources are at an all-time high. There are six community safety officers and North Battleford has the largest RCMP detachment in the province. The provincially funded Community Safety & Well-being Plan is currently being updated. The city is working with Public Safety Canada on a gun violence and gang extrication strategy. A program reminding residents to lock their vehicles and remove keys from their cars has led to vehicle thefts being decreased by 31 per cent. And, there has been a 75 per cent increase in outdoor security camera registrations since 2021.

“It all adds up. It’s not always about reacting – it’s about deterring crime as well and we as citizens who live here have a part to play in making our city safe,” Gillan said.

But, as a local government, the city said it doesn’t have the resources or expertise to adequately address public health crises and serious social issues like mental health and addictions that perpetuate the high crime rates.

“There is a tremendous need to help people facing these kinds of issues and we need the province’s help. It’s not something traditionally cities have been involved in – but we’re interested because it’s our residents and we have to help them,” Gillan said.

The MLA for North Battleford, Jeremy Cockrill said he finds it frustrating to see how different people use the CSI to paint the community in a poor light.

“There’s been significant policing investment made from the city, town, and especially the province. We’ve added a second Crime Reduction team in the Battlefords that’s provincially funded. We funded a PACT (Police and Crisis Team) that pairs up a mental health nurse with an RCMP officer. We’ve taken some significant steps to address that and people who live in the Battlefords – they know that our community is far safer than what these numbers portray it as,” said Cockrill.

In June, the Ministry of Health issued a Request for Proposal to find an operator for the Drumming Hill facility in North Battleford which will house addiction treatment services.

Gillan said more federal and provincial government help is needed to make notable and lasting community change.

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