Delta’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) increased slightly last year.
That’s according to a report to the Delta Police Board on the 2023 CSI released by Statistics Canada, a nationwide database and standardized indicator used to assess crime levels across communities.
The annual CSI considers both the volume and severity of the offences reported to the police, whereas conventional crime rates measure only the volume of crime.
More serious crimes are assigned higher weights, so impact the overall index score is more, while less serious crimes are weighted less.
According to the report, Delta’s CSI score for 2023 is 63.9, slightly higher than 2022, when Delta scored 60.
The increase is primarily due to two homicides that occurred in late 2023. However, despite the slight increase, Delta maintained a lower CSI compared to the overall provincial and national averages, which saw increases.
As far as key trends for the overall CSI, in comparison to 2022, last year saw significant changes driven largely by a 52 per cent increase in police-reported child pornography incidents, which became the largest contributor. There were 21,417 incidents reported, with a majority involving making or distributing child pornography.
British Columbia and Alberta experienced the highest increases, while Manitoba saw a decrease, the report notes, adding 79 per cent of the incidents had a cyber component, highlighting the growing impact of online crimes.
Fraud rates also rose by 12, making it the second-highest contributor to the CSI, while identity fraud and theft declined. Extortion rates increased by 35 per cent for the fourth consecutive year, with almost half of the incidents being cybercrimes, contributing significantly to the overall increase in cybercrimes.
Property crimes showed mixed trends with breaking and entering incidents declining by five per cent, though it remained a significant part of the CSI.
Motor vehicle theft increased by five per cent but was still 50 per cent lower than 25 years ago. Meanwhile, robbery rates went up by four per cent, but remained significantly lower than 25 years ago, and shoplifting incidents rose by 18 per cent, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Hate crimes increased by 32 per cent, continuing a trend of sharp increases over the past four years, while the national homicide rate declined by 14 per cent.
Fewer homicides were reported in many provinces, though some regions saw increases, while Indigenous people and racialized groups remained disproportionately affected by homicides.
“The CSI, though not to be used in isolation as an area’s overalls safety indicator, is one of the crucial ones due to its standardization. Delta’s 2023 CSI highlights that despite the slight increase due to the unfortunate homicide incidents, our community remains safer compared to provincial national scores as well as regional scores of municipalities with similar population size. This achievement is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of our team,” the report adds.
