TORONTO – The Canadian crime rate in 2010 dropped to its lowest level in 38 years, according to a new report by Statistics Canada.
The crime rate continued a 20-year decline, down five per cent in 2010 compared to 2009 figures.
Police reported nearly 2.1 million Criminal Code incidents last year, down about 77,000 from 2009.
The 2010 national homicide rate of 1.62 for every 100,000 people was the lowest since 1966.
A decline in crime severity for that year was seen virtually across the country, with exceptions in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Opposition MPs are holding up the new numbers as proof the governing Conservatives don’t need to spend billions on new jails.
Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett asked how the government can justify its policies and expenditures on new prison spaces in the face of the declining crime rates.
In the past, the Tories have brushed off the police-reported crime rates, saying many crimes don’t get reported and thus undermine the statistics.
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With files from the Canadian Press
The following infographic shows an interactive map of crime rates across Canada, per 100,000, between 1998 and 2010.
The map was prepared with figures from Statistics Canada.
Crime rate per 100,000, 1998-2010
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Click on a province for 1998-2010 crime rates.
| Over 10,000 | 7,500-10,000 | 5,000-7,500 | Under 5,000 |
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