Crime Rates Show Increase

Property crime, including vehicle thefts and break-ins rose over 2003, according to figures released by Statistics Canada.

StatsCan data shows the national property crime rate rose 4% over 2003, despite hitting a 20-year low in 2002. The 2003 rate bucks a trend of flat and even decreasing property crime rates since 1991. However, despite last year’s rate increase, incidence of property crime is still 26% less than that recorded a decade ago.

Break-ins were up 2% to 284,000 incidences last year, mostly on a 6% increase in business break-ins. Residential break-ins increased just 1% while auto theft rose by 5% with 171,000 vehicles stolen over 2003. About 57% of these were cars, but the rate of theft for trucks, mini-vans and SUVs jumped four-times the pace of car thefts. Alberta saw its auto theft rate jump the highest, by 15% over 2003, largely from the Edmonton area. But, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, PEI and New Brunswick also saw double-digit theft rate increases last year.