Crime stats in Saskatoon

[bmckie]

This may be a touchy subject...
I was reading some stats today, and it appears that crime is really high in Saskatoon (first place across Canada!). The indexes and a quick search on the web (various articles describing robberies, murders, car thefts etc) painted a rather grim image of what I used to consider a "nice little Prairies town". Is it possible that I was grossly mistaken? I mean, for someone living in Montreal (a city with an apparently elevated crime rate), this comes as a shock to me.
So - what's the situation out there? I tend to take with a grain of salt discourses like "I'm afraid to walk into the streets of Saskatoon's downtown at 5pm" or "many of my female colleagues have been mugged/nearly raped/etc in broad daylight" or anything similar; on the other hand, I'm ready to admit that the (sad) reality is sometimes worse than fiction... so, honestly - which one is it?

 

[Kreskin]

That surprises me, although crime stats are usually won by those who most often report them so you never really know.

 

[athabaska]

Native Canadian have by far the highest crime rate in Canada. Saskatoon has a much higher percent of natives than Montreal, etc. I don't know the stats but prisons in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have way more native inmates than their percent of the population.

 

[bmckie]

Re: RE: Crime stats in Saskatoon

Native Canadian have by far the highest crime rate in Canada. Saskatoon has a much higher percent of natives than Montreal, etc. I don't know the stats but prisons in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have way more native inmates than their percent of the population.

OK, that I understand -- but would Saskatoon be an unsafe city? less safe than, say, Montreal or Toronto?

 

[athabaska]

I've been to Saskatoon a few times and it's one of my favorite cities in Canada. I didn't even think about crime or related issues.

Crime stats are quirky indicators of how safe or unsafe a city is for the average law abiding citizen. In many cities 'violent' crime is largely confined to activities within certain circles. Here in Calgary there is rarely a violent incident that is random in nature. Murders are usually gang related or domestic. When I was a university student in Montreal in the mid 70's, the city had a high murder rate...but 98% was gang on gang and Montreal was a city in which a woman coud feel quite safe walking the streets after midnight.

 

[Researcher87]

Why do people pin Native Canadians and crime, do you think all of them just commit crime?

Because if you do I have about 200 people where i live that can tell you differently. And they will not be amused by such thoughts.

 

[wallyj]

The crime rate in both Saskatoon and Regina is WAY above all major cities. This (do some research) has been spiralling upwards in the last 4 years due to an increase in crimes ,mostly petty, committed by natives in the downtown cores. Hold off on the knee-jerk cries of racism.It is a fact. The government decided that natives were not being treated fairly in the "white" justice system. So they decided on alternative sentencing which was ,except for serious crimes,designed to HEAL rather than punish.What a mess. Take away any deterrent to crime and it will flourish.There may be 200 or 300 people who do not commit crimes,good for them, but take a walk through the core of Regina or Saskatoon and your eyes will be opened.

 

[tamarin]

Alternative sentencing for native offenders has been gospel. If it's not working then we should be told about it. And those who aggressively supported it in the first place should be tagged for an explanation. There has to be accountability here. It's long been known that many western penitentiary populations are disproportionately native. If there's a problem in First Nations communities that can be fixed we should work on it. But fuzzying the picture with political correctness has to be a big upfront no no. We're backward in Canada on such issues. It has to stop.

 

[wallyj]

Tamarin,I concur.The disproportion that you speak of,is not disproportionate to the crimes committed.It is disproportionate to the % of population. The problem lies with the parents and band leaders who do not want the children to join the 21st century. In real estate the mantra is location.location,location.In society it should be education,education,education.

 

[bmckie]

Re: RE: Crime stats in Saskatoon

The crime rate in both Saskatoon and Regina is WAY above all major cities.

OK - so I'm going to ask this once more: are Saskatoon and Regina unsafe cities or is crime rate very high only/mostly among natives?

Just trying to understand...

 

[Toro]

RE: Crime stats in Saskat

They are not unsafe cities.

 

[tamarin]

Wally, education is key. You're right. And parents and band elders aggressively supporting it is the only way native children are going to get the message: there is a way to lead a better life and it starts in your school.

 

[athabaska]

"It's long been known that many western penitentiary populations are disproportionately native."

About 74% of criminal offences in Saskatchewan are commited by natives but natives make up only 52% of the prison population. By this measure natives are under represented in Sask prisons. It's nice to promote 'healing lodges', etc. unless one is a child beaten or girl raped by their uncle when he returns from one of these lodges instead of being locked up in prison. The victims of many violent native crime are vulnerable natives such as children and the elder. An abused native child needs protection and has no less value than any other.

 

[tamarin]

Athabaska, the key to understanding 'disproportionate' would be knowing the native component of the general population in a province like Saskatchewan.. What percentage of Saskatchewan is native? (Yah, I should look it up myself!) Is it close to 52% or hovering in the 25% area?

 

[bmckie]

"It's long been known that many western penitentiary populations are disproportionately native."

About 74% of criminal offences in Saskatchewan are commited by natives but natives make up only 52% of the prison population. By this measure natives are under represented in Sask prisons. It's nice to promote 'healing lodges', etc. unless one is a child beaten or girl raped by their uncle when he returns from one of these lodges instead of being locked up in prison. The victims of many violent native crime are vulnerable natives such as children and the elder. An abused native child needs protection and has no less value than any other.

So, you're saying that criminal offences are more or less confined to native environments, and not geared towards the general population? if I parked my car in a typical parking lot, it wouldn't be more likely to get stolen in Saskatoon (vs.say, Montreal), unless that parking lot happened to be in a ghetto-like area?
I don't think there's one single city in this world without its dangerous areas; but that's one thing, while "downton Saskatoon (or Edmonton, yes, I've heard that too!) is a place you must(!) avoid, even at 5pm" seems to be far-fetched; but again, never been to Sask-City, never been to Edmonton either, so I wouldn't know - I'm just relying on my "hey, c'mon, this is Canada, not Afghanistan" gut feeling.

 

[Calberty]

Re: RE: Crime stats in Saskatoon

Athabaska, the key to understanding 'disproportionate' would be knowing the native component of the general population in a province like Saskatchewan.. What percentage of Saskatchewan is native? (Yah, I should look it up myself!) Is it close to 52% or hovering in the 25% area?

It all depends what percentage is being considered as diproportionate. The percentage of a race in the population or the percentage of perps of a given group. Aboriginals are sent to prison less frequently than whites when they commit the same crime. Also the white guy is more likely to be charged in the first place. Back in Manitoba the RCMP wouldn't touch most Crees unless it was really bad or the band itself wanted the perp hauled off.

 

[Liz]

Where there is poverty there is crime. Unfortunately there is poverty in many places that have a high Native Canadian population like Regina or Saskatoon. I lived i n Regina for years and it is not a dangerous city, but I did have my truck broken into three times one week. Who knows if those thieves were Native or not? I sure don't. The ones that broke into my suburban house sure were. I do know that if you look at the youth correctional facility there you will mostly see Native kids. It's a shame.
I never once was scared for my own safety, just my posessions. Even in Victoria park late at night.

 

[tamarin]

I don't think poverty is the chief culprit. Far more important is the lack of cohesive, functional families. Rural Canada was poor in the 1950's and 1960's and crime was low. But families were strong and father figures predominant. If you want kids into crime have them raised by single parents and in areas where such units are the norm.

 

[Liz]

You are right that family function affects crime rates. But I think that poverty has to do with the malfunction of a lot of families. Poverty goes hand in hand with petty theft and drug abuse. Two of the most common crimes committed I would think. Those minor crimes snowball into larger ones. Maybe crime is one reason many families fail. I also think there is a big difference between rural and urban settings. Children are raised in a more communal manner in a small town. One parent or two. It's like having a big family. In the city there is far more opportunity for trouble and the sense of community is lacking. Not only that, but single parent families are growing in popularity. There likely weren't as many in the 50's and 60's. Especially in rural areas.

 

[athabaska]

Have you spent any time on a rural reserve and all that 'communal manner' and 'sense of community'? There are lots of relatives and an extended family...usually more uncles and fathers to get drunk, sexually abuse the girls and so on. This has nothing to do with poverty or being rural or urban.


It's not poverty. It's