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Crime has increased slightly in British Columbia and Canada in general, new data from Statistics Canada show.
Based on the number of offences reported to the police, BC’s overall crime rate increased by 2% between 2017 and 2018 (to 7,400 crimes per 100,000 people).
The increase was also 2% for the country as a whole, rising to 5,488 crimes per 100,000 people.
According to a separate measurement – severity of crime – BC saw no change at all, while Canada’s rate rose by 2%.
BC did, however, have the highest rate of opioid offences in Canada.
Its rate is three times the national average.
Kelowna, meanwhile, has the highest rate of opioid offences among all the census metropolitan areas in Canada (101 crimes per 100,000 people).
In Vancouver, that figure is 19 crimes per 100,000 people.
Kelowna also saw a significant increase in overall crime severity and crime frequency.
Crime severity increased by 6% in the city, while the crime rate rose by 10%.
The province or territory with the highest and most severe crime rate remains the Northwest Territories, with 42,303 crimes per 100,000 people.
Explaining the increase in reported crime, StatCan pointed to a small number of offences.
“Ordered by their relative impact on the CSI [crime severity index], these offences include fraud (+13%); level 1 sexual assault, meaning without a weapon or evidence of bodily harm (+15%); shoplifting of $5,000 or under (+14%); and theft over $5,000 (+15%),” the agency wrote.
“These increases were partially offset by decreases for some other offences, including lower rates of breaking and entering (-1%) and robbery (-3%).”
The homicide rate also declined (by 4%, with 30 fewer in BC alone), but it is still higher than the average over the last decade.
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