By Glenn Hicks

Gun and rural crime saw large increases in 2017

Jul 23, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The latest numbers from the Centre for Justice Statistics showed gun crime was up 71 per cent in Saskatchewan and rural crime was 36 per cent higher than urban crime.

RCMP in the province said these figures from 2017 revealed “ongoing challenges,” and labelled the spike in firearms offences “highly concerning.”

“There were more and more shots taken at people, more and more charges being laid of a firearm with intent, or pointing it, or using it in the commission of an offence,” Corporal Rob King with the RCMP’s communications unit told paNOW. “Combined, those categories went up 71 per cent in 2017. Normally in the RCMP those might be a 15 per cent increase.”

Despite the concerning stats King said police had started to see declines through the first half of 2018 although he couldn’t give specifics.

‘[The numbers] are nowhere near where they were last year,” King said. “Why they went up so high last year is difficult to say.”

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In a media release Saskatchewan RCMP said there were some positive trends in the stats, which showed overall crime fell three per cent and homicides were down from 35 in 2016 to 22 in 2017.

RCMP added they were working hard to be responsive and were focused on intelligence-led policing by collecting and analyzing information to conduct strategic patrols. It went on to say the recently formed Crime Reduction Team was disrupting criminal activity and tracking prolific offenders.

Speaking to the 36 per cent difference in rural crime over urban crime King told paNOW it was important to note the statistics were for “reported” crime.

“I think people in rural areas tend to report crime more than they do in larger cities where those police forces are so busy they may not even have time to take the complaint of the broken garden gnome or stolen garden house,” he said. However, King said these reports from rural areas were a good thing because “having things reported to us is what we want. That means communities are getting involved, they’re taking ownership and letting the police know what’s happening.”

King said RCMP conducted Town Hall meetings this year to hear community safety concerns and develop long-term policing plans and priorities.

BY THE NUMBERS

Despite the actual number of incidents decreasing year-over-year in Prince Albert, from 8,280 to 8,081 in 2017, or 3.05 per cent, the city’s overall crime severity index increased 3.10 per cent from 243.9 to 251.46. This comes heavily on the back of an uptick in non-violent crime severity, up 5.32 per cent. Violent crime severity fell by 2.65 points, to 250.16 from 256.97 in 2016.

Looking across the province at overall crime severity:

Moose Jaw: 107.49, down 8.12 per cent
North Battleford: 371.58, up 1.94 per cent
Regina: 111, down by 11.07 per cent
Saskatoon: 115, up 0.25 points

Of those 8,000-plus incidents in The Gateway to the North, 69 were unfounded, or 0.85 per cent. Within that, 3,807 adults were charged and 491 youth between the ages of 12 and 17.

The type of crime committed is also broken down by Statistics Canada. Here they some incidents by the numbers for Prince Albert:

Total violent Criminal Code violations: 978, down from 1,157
Homicide: two, one in 2016
First-degree murder: one, up from 0
Manslaughter: one, up from 0

Attempted murder: five, up from three in 2016

Total property crime violations: 3,526, up from 3,521
Total breaking and entering: 727, up from 586
Shoplifting $5,000 or under: 404, down from 606

Total possession of stolen property: 62, up from 61
Total theft of motor vehicle: 360, up from 310
Total theft over $5,000 non-motor vehicle: 24, from 26
Theft $5,000 or under: 474, down from 490

Total mischief: 812, from 806
Arson: 32, up from 30

Total weapons violations: 109, up from 98

Prisoner unlawfully at large: 38, up from 27
Escape or helps to escape from lawful custody: 46, up from 39

Participate in activity of a terrorist group: one, but no charges 

Total impaired driving: 163, down from 179

Total drug violations: 141, down from 151
Possession of cannabis: 17, down from 25
Total cannabis, trafficking, production or distribution: 11, up from 8
Possession of cocaine: eight, down from 11
Methamphetamines possession: 41, down from 46

— With files from Tyler Marr

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow