2018 Crime Severity Index and Weighted Clearance Rates Results – Halton Region

2018 Crime Severity Index and Weighted Clearance Rates Results – Halton Region The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is pleased to announce that Halton Region has maintained its position of having the lowest Crime Severity Index of all Canadian municipalities with a population of 100,000 or more for the 14th straight year, according to Statistics Canada's annual report on crime in Canada. The report, entitled, "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2018", provides a detailed overview of crime statistics as reported by police services across the country. According to the data, released July 22, 2019, Halton Region: Has maintained its position of having the lowest Crime Severity Index* of all Canadian municipalities with a population of 100,000 or more for the 14th straight year; Had the lowest Crime Severity Index (CSI) when compared to Ontario's 'Big 12' police services; Had the lowest Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario's 'Big 12' police services; Had the lowest Non-Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario's 'Big 12' police services; Maintained the lowest values for each of these three indices for 11 straight reporting years (2008 - 2018) when compared to Ontario's 'Big 12' police services; Had the lowest overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate amongst Ontario's 'Big 12' police services; and Had the highest Weighted Clearance Rate* (55.6 per cent) of the same 'Big 12' and has maintained the lowest value for this index for five straight years (2014 – 2018). "As Chief of Police here in Halton it is my honour and privilege to share with the citizens that we serve, and with whom we work so closely throughout the year, that the Region of Halton and the HRPS has once again maintained the lowest Crime Severity Index of all Canadian municipalities with a population over 100,000 (52 in total). 2018 marks the 14th straight year of this tremendous community and organizational accomplishment. These fabulous community safety related statistics are clearly a testament to the work of our frontline officers and staff and to the support of the residents we serve. It is only because of our strong partnerships and relationships, coupled with our ongoing commitment to our Community Safety and Well-Being plan that we are confident we will be successful in keeping Halton at the forefront of policing and as a leader in public safety in the years that lay ahead. As an organization, we are committed to crime reduction and prevention and to investing in the appropriate resources and community supports to keep our region the very safest it can be," said Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner. "The one Crime Severity Index (CSI) result that I am extremely proud of, is the fact that since 2014 we have had the highest Clearance Rate based on the Crime Severity Index. Distilled down, this means that our officers (frontline and investigators) are consistently solving serious crimes, and doing so at an increasing rate. One of the most effective methods of crime prevention is enforcement, and we will continue to put those responsible for our most serious crimes before our courts and into our corrections system. I want to take this opportunity to offer my most sincere thank you to our many front line and investigative members for their hard work, dedication and commitment that has once again ensured the residents of Halton continue to be as safe as they can be." added Chief Tanner. "Once again these results show the value of our continued and enhanced commitment and investment in Community Safety and Well Being throughout the Region of Halton. Community engagement and support have continued to flourish throughout 2018 as our citizens and stakeholder groups worked in close partnership with our police service to best meet the needs of all. Sir Robert Peel set the stage for "community policing" on which we will continue to build to ensure an even safer tomorrow than the one we enjoy today. Our goal is to provide the very safest environment possible in which each and every one of our citizens are able to live, work, play, and retire while feeling the safest they can possibly be. My congratulations to our team within the Halton Regional Police Service, and to all of our community partners and citizens on another very successful year." said Halton Regional Police Services Board Chair Rob Burton. Background* Each year, Statistics Canada reports on the number and type of criminal incidents coming to the attention of police. To facilitate comparisons among geographic areas as well as over time, police-reported crime has traditionally been expressed as a rate per 100,000 population. The traditional "crime rate" provides information on the number of police-reported incidents that have occurred for a given population, but does not provide information on the overall seriousness of crimes reported by police. For this reason, the Crime Severity Index (CSI) was developed. The Crime Severity Index enables Canadians to track changes in the severity of police-reported crime from year to year. It does so by taking into account not only the change in volume of a particular crime, but also the relative seriousness of that crime in comparison to other crimes. The CSI helps answer such questions as: is the crime coming to the attention of police more or less serious than before; and, is police-reported crime in a given city or province more or less serious than in Canada overall? The Weighted Clearance Rate is the proportion of reported crimes solved by police, factoring in the seriousness of individual offences. Weighted clearance rate is based on the same principles as the Police Reported Crime Severity Index (CSI), whereby more serious offences are assigned a higher 'weight' than less serious offences. For example, the clearing of homicides, robberies or break and enters would represent a greater contribution to the overall weighted clearance rate value than the clearing of minor theft, mischief or disturbing the peace. For a more in-depth explanation of how these statistics are reported, please visit: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190722/dq190722a-eng.htm