‘Lethbridge is a very safe city’: Officials respond to Crime Severity Index data – Lethbridge | Globalnews.ca
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After three consecutive years of Lethbridge holding the highest crime severity index in Canada among census metropolitan areas, new Statistics Canada data for 2022 shows a drop to third.
“Safety of our citizens is definitely our number one priority,” said Mayor Blaine Hyggen.
The new data is a big win, according to Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh.
“This city is becoming safer every year. Having said that, we still have a lot of work to do.”
Among census metropolitan areas from 2021 to 2022, violent crime in Lethbridge has increased by less than one per cent, while non-violent crimes dropped 13 per cent.
Overall, there has been a five per cent decrease of overall crime.
“It’s typically opportunity crimes, non-violent crimes, that are driving our CSI up,” said Medizadeh.
“One of the major crime types that we have too often in this city are break and enters, for different reasons and those score a very high number.”
He attributes mental health and homelessness as the top underlying causes for nuisance crimes in the city, which he said have increased in both the downtown and south side.
Out of 330 municipalities with a population of more than 10,000, Lethbridge ranks 36th, down from 27th in 2021.
“As the crime and CSI is increasing across the country and in the province, we are showing a downward trend in both those categories” said Medizadeh.
“For a guy that has lived across Canada in many communities, Lethbridge is a very safe city.”
“Any crime is too much crime,” Hyggen said. “And until there’s no crime, we’ll continue to do what we can to provide the resources to our police service to make sure that that number has dropped.”
Among Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas, Winnipeg held the highest crime severity index in 2022. Quebec City had the lowest.
Top 5 Crime Severity Index Cities 2021 2022:
1. Winnipeg, Manitoba 114.24 136.62
2. Kelowna, British Columbia 122.8 128.02
3. Lethbridge, Alberta 129.48 118.97
4. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 105.35 113.5
5. Regina, Saskatchewan 113.06 106.93
Top 5 Lowest Crime Severity Index Cities:
2021 2022
31. Toronto, Ontario 45.43 51.87
32. Saguenay, Quebec 50 51.42
33.Sherbrooke, Quebec 51.49 51.15
34 Barrie, Ontario 45.39 47.09
35. Québec City, Quebec 42.82 46.84
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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