Canada
Related: About this forumCrime rate in Canada at lowest level since 1972, Statistics Canada says
"Police services reported nearly 2 million incidents last year, about 110,000 fewer than in 2010, the agency reported. And the severity of crime index a tool used to measure the extent of serious crime in Canada also declined by six per cent.
Overall, this marked the eighth consecutive decrease in Canadas crime rate, the study said. Since peaking in 1991, the crime rate has generally been decreasing, and is now at its lowest point since 1972."
"The volume and severity of police-reported crime were highest in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and lowest in Ontario, where wounds are still raw in the wake of a rash of deadly shootings."
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1230888--crime-rate-in-canada-at-lowest-level-since-1972-statistics-canada-says
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Glad that the Toronto Star took a break from the hype to post a reality check. Because again, the rest of the MSM is fueling the common misconceptions and paranoia with regard to the prevalence of crime. I doubt that this report will get any mention on the TV news tonight.
Regardless, Conservatives and Police boards, and their sycophants will still use the statistics in whatever way suits them i.e.
"Crime going down?" - "Guess our tough on crime agenda is working" (Bullshit).
"Regional spike in a specific crime?" - "Guess we need to crack down more and increase police funding".
And of course their favorite as of late:
"Crimes simply aren't being reported, because people are too scared" (ummm generally Bullshit, although true in that cops don't bother investigating everyday property crime anymore because its not profitable to them, and increasingly people distrust the institution due to its corruption and brutality)
orwell
(7,781 posts)...demographics.
It's hard for aging baby boomers to drive getaway cars...
louis-t
(23,310 posts)Joe Shlabotnik
(5,604 posts)I read a study a few years ago that tracked age-associated crimes, and they exactly mimicked the swell of the baby boom from adolescence to retirement. Petty crimes and property damage bumped first, followed by assaults and more serious thefts, followed by murders. But the more serious the crime, the less were committed because the age group outgrew it, started having families, and retired.
I think the occasional regional spikes tend to reflect areas that have traditionally always had organized crime and biker turf wars (Quebec and Northern Ontario), or outright neglect (FN reserves) or in the last 15 years eroded social programs in big cities.
As well, a number of friends of mine who have worked in the oil patch also say that the spike in crime there is because young single men who go to work there make lots of money but have nothing to spend it on other booze, drugs and prostitutes, and that they have no intention of ever settling down there.
louis-t
(23,310 posts)A city of 220,000 at the time, they had their first murder of the year. A cab driver was shot and killed. It was on the front page of every newspaper. Detroit, a city of 1 million plus at the time, was already at around 200.