There is both good and bad news in the latest crime stats released this morning by the Canadian Centre for Justice.
On a per-capita basis, Regina has the highest crime rate in the nation.
However, in the category of violent crime, Regina comes in fourth.
Violent crime in the city actually dropped 18% from 2010 to 2011.
Regina’s police chief, Troy Hagen, says the numbers show that more work needs to be done — but they also show the city is making progress:
“Considering where we were, where we are today, there has been significant progress. But having said that, there’s no question we need to continue to a lot of work. And we’re focusing, certainly, on a number of different strategies that we believe are helping.”
Hagen, says the numbers also show the city’s crime rate has dropped 35% over the past 21 years and that people are not concerned about their safety:
“More people told us it was safe last year than they had in the previous four or five years. So, having said that, we do believe the majority of Reginans feel our community is safe.”
Saskatoon had the second-highest overall crime rate in Canada, behind only Regina.