Crime rates in North still higher than in rest of Canada

Northwest Territories, Nunavut have rates about 4 times higher than national average

Crimes rates in the North are not declining like most of Canada.

Across Canada last year, the number of crimes reported to police was at a 40-year low in 2011, according to new numbers from Statistics Canada.

But in the Northwest Territories and Canada’s eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut, crime remains about four times the national average.

In Canada’s northwestern Yukon territory, the crime rate is about double the national average.

“There’s a number of factors, educational issues, addictions issues, housing issues, employment issues. All sorts of things like that play into people’s ability to keep themselves productive and out of trouble, out of distractions, which are created by such things as addictions issues,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Brad Kaeding.

Kaeding said the majority of crimes are related to alcohol, and to a lesser extent, drug use. He added that victims and perpetrators often know each other; very few crimes are random.

Across the three territories, Kaeding there are more police than in southern Canada, in part because of the crime rate but also because of geography.

“When we have communities of 100 or 200 people, you know, those communities down south would never have a detachment, let alone two or three or four members. Just because of the logistitics of getting into the communities, we have a lot more police here than you would in southern jurisdictions of a similar population. Having said that, the higher crime does demand a higher police presence,” said Kaeding.

Related Link:

Canada’s crime rate in 2011 lowest since 1972, CBC News

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