Lethbridge crime on the decline, according to annual Statistics Canada report
Since 2019, Lethbridge has had the highest rate of severe crime of any Canadian city but 2022 numbers released by Statistics Canada tell a new tale.
The city dropped from first to third on Statistics Canada's annual Crime Severity Index report, or CSI.
It calculates the volume and seriousness of crimes in a community.
The decline includes an eight per cent decrease in crime severity and a five per cent drop in crime rate in 2022.
"As the crime and CSI is increasing across the country and in the province, we are showing a downward trend in both those categories, which is significant," said Lethbridge Police Service Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh.
Lethbridge Police Service Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh
In 2021, the city sat at a CSI of 129.5, compared to 2022's 119.
Comparatively, the national CSI is up four per cent while Alberta's rose by two per cent.
Police and the city say the drop in numbers is due to a lot of effort and hard work on both sides.
Over the past four years, Lethbridge's CSI has dropped by almost 16 per cent.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm very proud to call this community my home as we are moving toward a good direction," Mehdizadeh told media on Thursday.
"There's so much more we can do but we will continue to do what we can, advocate for the resources we need, stay in touch with our police commission and chief to make sure that the resources that they need are available," added Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen.
Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen
The report only looks at cities with a municipal police force.
That leaves out some large communities such as Red Deer and Grand Prairie, which are policed by the RCMP.
"When you include 10,000 plus, we are ranked number 36," Mehdizadeh said.
"So we just go way down because there are a lot of communities that could be 1,000 people, less than 10,000, but they are not factored in this group."
The city did see a slight rise in the number of violent crimes, increasing by 1.4 per cent.
The majority of crimes in the city are opportunity-driven but even those have begun going down.
Lethbridge dropped from first to third on Statistics Canada's annual Crime Severity Index report, or CSI.
Police note residents' continued efforts.
"I just want to thank our citizens for all of the work they're doing," said Mehdizadeh.
Mehdizadeh says the plan is to add at least 10 new officers to the force within the next year and the hope is the increased presence will help drive down the CSI even further for 2023.
To view the Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index report, you can visit their website.
Lethbridge dropped from first to third on Statistics Canada's annual Crime Severity Index report, or CSI.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.