While North Battleford had the highest rating for all crime in Maclean's magazine's latest report, the province is working to improve the numbers, the local MLA says. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Focus on Crime

MLA says province using more strategies to curtail crime in North Battleford

Nov 25, 2019 | 3:45 PM

While North Battleford didn’t fare well in the Maclean’s magazine article Canada’s Most Dangerous Places again this year, the local MLA says progress is being made to improve the situation and battle crime.

Maclean’s listed North Battleford first for Canada’s most dangerous places, based on Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) report from 2018 data. North Battleford had the highest rating for overall for all crime, and the second highest rating for violent crime.

Battlefords MLA Herb Cox said the province remains concerned about continued high rates of crime in North Battleford and across Saskatchewan. However, he said it is important to note rates were actually lower in a number of categories compared to the year prior.

The total crime rate in North Battleford fell by five per cent from 2017 to 2018, while violent crime fell by 18 per cent. While crime severity increased by three per cent over that same time period, violent crime severity fell by 11 per cent – the most since 2008.

Cox said in a release “while there still remains more to do to in improving public safety in North Battleford, our government has taken a number of steps” to make the community safer.

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He cited the following initiatives in which the province has been involved to improve safety in the area: open the new Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford; provide $1.6 million annually for the Crime Reduction Teams, one of which is based in North Battleford; expand a Police and Crisis Team to North Battleford in 2018-19; and provide $770,000 in funding for seven front-line, municipal police grant positions in 2019-20.

Through the Ministry of Social Services, the province also invested $580,000 into a new, affordable housing project; expanded mental health walk-in services as part of a $1.2 million provincial investment; and launched a Community Recovery Team as part of a $4.2 million provincial investment.

Cox said the province’s Gang Violence Reduction Strategy will add to existing gang reduction initiatives, adding that the strategy will “help combat gangs that are the primary cause of much of the violent crime communities across Saskatchewan are experiencing.”

As well, the MLA said the strategy involves gang outreach and prevention programming in Saskatchewan communities; expanding the ministry’s dedicated substance abuse and treatment unit to more adult provincial correctional facilities; and having more law enforcement partners work together to target gangs.

Cox said the province continues to work with community partners, including area tribal councils and the City of North Battleford, “to help address these local safety concerns.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW