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Statistics Canada released its Crime Severity Index (CSI) for 2022 on Thursday.
The CSI measures both the volume and severity of police-reported crime across Canada.
According to the CSI, Saskatoon saw a 6.79 per cent increase in crime last year, which brings the city close to its pre-pandemic levels on the index.
In comparison, Regina saw a five per cent decrease in the crime severity index.
Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said he believes the increase in police-reported crime has a direct connection to addiction and homelessness, and the crimes that result from those social issues.
Cooper said the police service noticed an increase in dispatch calls in 2022.
“We saw an increase of 10 per cent in dispatched calls, so we knew we were receiving a lot of calls,” said Cooper. “A lot of those calls that were increasing were non-criminal, so social issues like disturbances and suspicious persons.”
Cooper said he also noticed an increase in some types of criminal behaviour in the past year, including shoplifting and thefts from sheds and garages.
Armed robbery also saw an increase.
Cooper said he has noticed certain areas of the city are becoming popular spots for crime.
“Anywhere that there are open areas, social support, where there is lots of pedestrian traffic, we see more of these crimes of opportunity,” said Cooper.“There are three core areas: the downtown business core, core neighbourhoods where social supports are provided, and around anywhere there is social support housing.”
Canada as a whole saw an increase in crime of four per cent in 2022, according to Statistics Canada.
