OTTAWA – The crime rate in Saskatoon may have decreased in 2013 but it was still one of the highest among Canadian cities according to a report released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
StatsCan said the overall police-reported crime severity index (CSI) was 99.1, a decrease of 7 per cent from 2012 and down 55 per cent from 2003, the largest decrease among cities over a ten-year period.
Only Regina, at 109.1, had a higher CSI in 2013.
The agency attributes the yearly decrease in Saskatoon to fewer incidents of break and enters, non-violent robberies and theft under $5,000.
One area where there was an increase was vehicle thefts, which rose 4 per cent.
For violent crime, Saskatoon had a CSI of 109.9, third to Winnipeg (119.9) and Thunder Bay (110.9).
Violent robberies, sexual assault and assault with a weapon were the largest contributors to the violent CSI in Saskatoon.
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Saskatchewan continued to have the highest CSI among the provinces at 125.7, largely due to break and enters, mischief and theft under $5,000.
That is down 9 per cent from 2012 and a decrease of 37 per cent since 2003.
Saskatchewan continued to have the highest rate of youth crime among the provinces in 2013 with a CSI of 169.9, down 18 per cent from the previous year.
The crime severity index measures both the volume and seriousness of police-reported crime.
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