45 15St W, Prince Albert SK S6V3P4
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The Prince Albert Police Service continues to work toward targeted enforcement of all crime, including gun violence and gang activity in our community, while also focusing efforts on addressing root-cause issues that often lead to violent crime. Ahead of the release of the 2019 Crime Severity Index (CSI) values later this week, the Prince Albert Police Service continues to review crime trends, including the index data for the last 20 years.
The 2019 Crime Severity Index numbers are scheduled to be released by Statistics Canada on Thursday, October 29, 2020. The Crime Severity Index provides an annual comparison of police-reported crime statistics for communities across the country, including rates of violent and non-violent crime and related trends.
In 2018, Prince Albert ranked 6th overall amongst roughly 300 communities with core populations over 10,000, a slight decrease in overall crime when compared to the previous two years. In 2017, Prince Albert ranked 4th overall and third in 2016.
While overall crime is trending down, the police service acknowledges an increase in violent crime, including in 2019, which saw a tragic six homicides in our community. Police have made arrests and laid charges in all six of these files.
The Prince Albert Police Service continues to work to target all crime, including gun violence, gangs and related illegal activity, and has several dedicated teams focused on this mandate, including the Integrated Crime Reduction Team (I-CRT), Street Enforcement Team (SET), and the Crime Suppression Team. Each of these specialized units is supported by members with the Canine Section, Police and Crisis Team (PACT), and Patrol and is focused on investigating and arresting those responsible for gang violence and related crime, and preventing further victimization of the community.
SOURCE: Statistics Canada https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=3510006101
The Prince Albert Police Service continues to work to target all crime, including gun violence, gangs and related illegal activity, and has several dedicated teams focused on this mandate, including the Integrated Crime Reduction Team (I-CRT), Street Enforcement Team (SET), and the Crime Suppression Team. Each of these specialized units is supported by members with the Canine Section, Police and Crisis Team (PACT), and Patrol and is focused on investigating and arresting those responsible for gang violence and related crime, and preventing further victimization of the community.
A look at statistics for previous years shows violent crime has consistently been trending higher in Prince Albert since 2003. Our police service continues to investigate more files each year involving guns, weapons, drugs and violence given the core population numbers for our community.
In response, the police service continues to focus on addressing public safety concerns, while also advocating and supporting efforts to address root-cause issues including poverty, mental health and addictions that often lead to violence.
The Prince Albert Police Service continues to work with community agencies, local advocates, and victims of crime and their families, to support healthier lifestyles and programs aimed at addictions treatment, mental health services, housing and emergency supports for vulnerable residents. The police service is guided by the Prince Albert Board of Police Commissioners on this mandate, which includes representatives and volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, including education, business, corrections, the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Indian & Metis Friendship Centre.
While the release of the 2019 CSI numbers do not reflect the current year’s call volumes, members with the police service review statistics on a daily basis to study trends and ensure resources are being deployed in an accurate and effective manner.
The crime statistics and CSI comparisons are compiled by the Canadian Center for Justice Statistics (Stats Canada) and represent information contained in the 2019 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the 2019 Homicide Survey. The statistics are based on the ratio of crime versus the core population for a community, as opposed to the totality of crime in communities.
While the city’s core population is approximately 36,000 people, the police service also serves a large transient and rural population. Figures from the City of Prince Albert show the retail population of the local community – or the number of people who come to the city for appointments, shopping and entertainment each day – is closer to 190,000 people.
