TORONTO – The number of crimes reported to police continues to fall in Canada.
Statistic Canada said Thursday that in 2012 the police-reported crime rate fell three per cent from the year before.
Canadian police forces reported almost 2 million crimes in 2012 – excluding traffic incidents.
The number is 36,000 fewer than in 2011, making it the lowest level since 1972.
StatsCan data showed that the severity of police-reported crime also continues to decline, down by three per cent in 2012 from the year previous.
The declines were driven largely by decreases in common offences such as mischief, break and enter, motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and disturbing the peace.
Provincial crime rates
Only New Brunswick, PEI and the territories reported an increase in police-reported crime.
And while Saskatchewan posted the largest decrease in the overall crime rate, it continued to have the highest crime rate among the provinces.
The province of Ontario had the lower crime rate and lowest crime rate severity index.
Crime in Canada’s cities
Among Canada’s cities, Kelowna, B.C., had the highest crime rate in 2012, increasing by six per cent.
After reporting the highest police-reported crime rate for the four years previous, Regina moved to second place. The severity of crime in Regina continued to be the highest.
The city of Toronto saw a seven per cent decrease in police-reported crimes in 2012, extending its streak to six consecutive years with the lower crime rate of Canada’s cities.
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