Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index reports Sooke’s rate at 47.96 – 77.7 per cent lower than a decade ago. (Graeme Roy - The Canadian Press)

Sooke’s crime severity dropped by 78% over last 10 years

But the CSI increased 20 per cent in 2019

  • Nov. 9, 2020 12:00 a.m.

Sooke is safer now than 10 years ago, a new federal report suggests.

Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index reports Sooke’s rate at 47.96 – 77.7 per cent lower than a decade ago.

In Sooke, the highest CSI recorded in the last decade was in 2009 at 108.92.

In updated numbers released by Statistics Canada last month, the CSI increased 20 per cent in 2019, the year before the pandemic – from 39.24 in 2018 to 47.96 in 2019. Within Canada, the CSI rose five per cent to 79.5.

The CSI measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada and has a base value of 100.

The increase is based around six primary offences: fraud, child pornography, uttering threats; mischief; level 1 sexual assault (without a weapon or evidence of bodily harm) and shoplifting under $5,000.

Sooke RCMP, which covers an area from East Sooke to Port Renfrew, recorded 5,762 calls for service last year, down from 5,963 in 2018. This year, the detachment is on pace to top more than 6,000 calls.


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