New Brunswick was the only province to see its crime severity index, which measures the volume and seriousness of reported crime, increase last year.
And according to the new Statistics Canada data, Saint John had a 20 per cent year-over-year increase — making it the biggest jump of any Canadian metropolitan area.
Saint John Police investigated seven homicides in 2025, compared to three in 2024, and between one or two in the previous years.
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“Last year was historically unusual for Saint John. So, it represents a statistical outlier for us,” said spokesperson, Staff Sgt. Shawna Fowler.
Nationally, there was a five per cent decrease in the crime severity index (CSI).
The CSI doesn’t simply count crime, but gives more weight to serious offences, especially violent ones. Saint John’s jump in index was driven largely by the number of homicides.
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Mike Fleming, a UNB sociology and criminology professor, says a relatively small number of very serious crimes can significantly affect the CSI in a smaller city and the numbers need to be interpreted carefully.
He points out that Saint John’s CSI climbed to 70, but is still below the national average of 75. In comparison, Moncton’s CSI was 105.6 and Fredericton was around 80.5.
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