One of the more intriguing (and convoluted) documents released by Statistics Canada each year involves the Crime Severity Index (CSI).
The report looks at the number of crimes and the types of crimes committed in each community. The most serious and the more violent crimes are assigned a higher weight than others, and then StatsCan assigns a score based on a population of 100,000 people.
For those in the media and other sectors, particularly those who are numbers geeks, it’s required reading.
Estevan’s CSI value for 2016 came in at 95.24, which is the lowest level it’s been at since 2004, when the CSI was at 87.66. It’s still higher than a lot of smaller cities, but it is encouraging to see the number on the decline.
Local police have had fewer infractions, occurrences and calls for service in the last 18 months than they had in previous years, so it’s no surprise to see Estevan’s CSI on the decline.
At the same time, people have to be cautious when studying the CSI. They have to remember that it reflects a population of 100,000 people. If a smaller community like Estevan has a homicide, or another serious violent crime that scores highly on the CSI scale, then it’s going to change Estevan’s CSI score more than it would in a community the size of Regina.
And if there is a quieter year for violent crime, then the local CSI score will also be affected.
The truest test of community safety should not be how a community scores on the CSI, but how safe people feel in the community and in their own homes.
Do we feel safe if we’re walking around in the community during the evening hours and at night? Or are people looking over their shoulders? The number of muggings in recent years should indicate a level of security when walking alone.
Do people feel secure if they leave their doors unlocked at night, or when they are away from their homes for an extended period of time? Well, break-and-enters do happen, but the local figure is not unusually high for a city of this size.
Note: no matter how safe you feel, you should never leave the keys in the ignition of your vehicle and the doors unlocked. Doing so merely reflects naivety, laziness or stupidity.
There are much larger centres that have much lower CSI rating than Estevan. But are they necessarily safer? No. Most people feel comfortable walking around Estevan on their own at night. The biggest thing they might worry about is tripping on a sidewalk or being struck by an impaired driver.
Toronto’s CSI sits at 47.5. Which community do you think people feel safer in? Probably Estevan.
This community has a very good police service that has made strides in enhancing safety. There will always be crime. But we should feel confident in our police and in our fellow citizens.
As for the CSI, it’s always an interesting look to see how your community compares with the rest of the country and how the number has been trending in recent years. But it’s far from the truest test of community safety, or the capabilities of local law enforcement.
