Peel Region continues to be one of the safest communities in Canada

Posted On Wednesday August 21, 2024
criminal code
Criminal Code Rate per 100,000

Region of Peel – On July 25, 2024, Statistics Canada published the 2023 Crime Severity Index annual report on police-reported crime statistics. According to the data, Peel Region continues to be one of the safest communities in Canada.

Each year, Statistics Canada collects data from police agencies in jurisdictions with populations over one million and compares them using various criteria. The report focuses on comparing the data by:

  • Crime Severity Index (CSI): a metric that considers the number of crimes as well as the relative seriousness of crimes (i.e. serious crimes like homicide would be given more weight than less serious offences like minor theft).
  • Weighted Clearance Rates: a similar metric to CSI in that serious crimes are given more weight; weighted clearance rates measure the number of crimes solved by the police.
  • Total Crime Rate: a measure of the rate of crime per 100,000.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

CSI:

  • Peel’s overall CSI (51.41) is below Canada (80.45) and Ontario (60.88). Peel’s CSI increased 8% from 2022.
  • Peel’s violent CSI (67.34) remains well below the national (99.45) and provincial levels (78.52) and is the second lowest when comparing to services with populations over one million. Peel’s violent CSI decreased 3.48% from 2022 due to fewer homicides in 2023.
  • The non-violent CSI for Peel (45.48) was substantially lower than Canada (73.54) and Ontario (54.34) and was the lowest of comparator services with populations over one million.  However, in 2023, GTA services (Peel, York, Toronto) experienced larger increases in non-violent CSI than the other services. Peel’s non-violent CSI increased by 15.9% from 2022.  

Weighted Clearance Rate:

  • Peel had the highest overall weighted clearance (34.19) and violent weighted clearance (57.8.) for populations over 1 million. Peel showed a decrease in weighted clearance of 11.22% possibly due to an increase in auto theft, which have a low clearance rate.
  • Peel’s weighted clearance rate (34.19) is slightly lower than Canada (34.6) and lower than Ontario (37.99).
  • Peel’s violent clearance rate (57.8) is higher than national levels (53.84) and slightly lower than provincial levels (58.6).
  • Peel’s non-violent clearance rate (20.21) is lower than Canada (24.2) and Ontario (26.1).

Crime rates per capita (per 100,000):

  • Peel’s total crime rate per capita is 3,164, well below the rate for Canada at 5,843 and Ontario at 4,454, and the lowest compared to other jurisdictions.
  • Peel’s Violent Crime rate per capita is 758, below the rate for Canada at 1,427 and Ontario at 1055, and the lowest of the comparison services with populations over one million.

“Peel Regional Police is pleased to remain one of the safest communities in Canada, however, we are concerned with the rise in crime rates particularly when it comes to home invasions, carjackings, and other violent crimes,” said Chief Nishan Duraiappah. “We will continue to dedicate the resources needed to ensure effective enforcement, strong investigative capabilities, and work with partners on initiatives that increase our community’s safety.”

Peel Regional Police remains committed to improving safety through the priorities of our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan and our Community Safety and Well-being framework. Our approach is based on addressing underlying factors like mental health, addictions, and homelessness that generate many calls for service and mitigating risk factors that result in crime, victimization, and other community harm. We will continue to find progressive, inclusive, and innovative solutions to better respond to our community’s needs and ensure everyone’s safety. 

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