Crime severity index increases in N.B.

Police-reported crime increased across Canada in 2015 for the first time in 12 years. Hamilton said he acknowledges crime has increased in North Battleford along with the rest of the country, but increased police response could also account for some of this year’s total increase.

Hamilton said several community initiatives, including Citizens on Patrol and the Community Safety Officers, have been tackling petty crime. These initiatives take the burden of smaller crimes off the RCMP so they can focus more efficiently on higher risk crimes.

“We’ve decreased over the last number of years with some of our initiatives, now there’s a bit of a reverse, a trending upwards right now,” he said. “But I still think that we’re on the right path, we’re doing the right things, we’ve got many many initiatives in place.”

The CSI measures not only the amount of crime, but takes into account the severity of each crime, based on prison sentences. Urban North Battleford increased both in violent and non-violent crime, but violent crime rates decreased in rural North Battleford.

Insp. John Sutherland of the North Battleford RCMP said he wasn’t able to analyze the statistics well enough to respond Wednesday, but said he would provide comment at later date.

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.

by Sarah Rae

Crime severity index increases in N.B.

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