Crime continues its long-term downward trend in Canada, with 77,000 fewer crimes reported to police in 2008 than in the previous year.
Statistics Canada reported (July 21, 2009) that, “Both the traditional crime rate and the new Crime Severity Index fell five percent, meaning that both the volume of police-reported crime and its severity decreased. Violent crime also dropped, but to a lesser extent.”
Politicians still Talk Tough
The good news about lower and less severe offences does not deter the Conservative government from playing the get-tough-on-crime card. On their party website, the Conservatives claim, “Under the Liberals, little was done to address concerns about the increasing threat of gun, gang, and drug crime in our neighbourhoods. Conservatives have taken action to get tough on criminals and make our streets safer.”
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was quoted in The Globe and Mail (July 21, 2009) as saying: “Crime is unacceptably high in this country. We’ve got quite a few pieces of legislation before Parliament right now, bills that crack down on auto theft, bills that crack down on drugs…”
Get Tough on Crime Approach Criticized
The Institute for the Prevention of Crime (IPC) at the University of Ottawa says the focus on punishment is wrong. In its May 25, 2009 report, “Making Cities Safer: Action Briefs for Municipal Stakeholders” the Institute recommends more attention be paid to the causes of such things as gun and gang violence.
The project manager for the study, Dr. Irvin Waller told The Globe and Mail (May 25, 2009): “They (politicians) are caught in a time warp of continuing to increase more police…with tinkering with the Criminal Code, and not looking at where the crime problem is and how you can tackle it.”
According to Dr. Waller, the federal government spends $15 billion a year on policing, the courts, and prisons, and just $70 million annual on crime prevention.
Anti-crime Strategies that Work
The IPC study looked at crime prevention programs in other jurisdictions and reported on some that worked:
- Youth Inclusion Programs: “Operating in high crime areas in England and Wales, YIPs (a program to work with at-risk youth before they commit offences) reduced the seriousness of offences, reduced arrests by 65 percent, and reduced overall crime in neighbourhoods by up to 27 percent.”
- Boston Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence: “Within two years, problem-solving partnerships in Boston that established social programs to get young men out of gangs and to stop them from carrying guns demonstrated a 71 percent reduction in homicides committed by youth.”
- Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy: “This strategy, inspired by a successful program in Regina, has reduced auto theft by 75 percent in four years - the $52 million investment has already saved $59 million, and future savings are estimated at $30 million or more a year.”
Investment in Crime Prevention Pays off
The IPC recommends that municipalities should spend one dollar per capita a year on crime prevention. The Region of Waterloo that includes the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo has been putting $2 per capita into plans to reduce crime. It seems to have paid off. The Statistics Canada report on crime in Canada in 2008 gives Kitchener a crime severity rating of 68.9 against the Canadian average of 90.0.
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