Windsor area’s crime rate increases as Canada sees a decline

Crime rates in the Windsor metropolitan area increased in 2012 after seeing a continual decline over the last several years.

According to Statistics Canada information released Thursday, the Windsor CMA had 4,767 Criminal Code violations per 100,000 people. That came after a decline from 5,340 incidents per 100,000 people in 2008 to 5014 incidents in 2010 and 4,606 incidents in 2011.

Statistics Canada said police services across the country reported almost 2 million criminal incidents in 2012, not counting traffic. That’s a decline of three per cent, or about 36,000 incidents, from the previous year. Kelowna had the highest crime rate last year. Toronto had the lowest.

After peaking in 1991, Canada’s police-reported crime rate has been in continual decline, reaching its lowest level last year since 1972.

StatsCan said the decline in Canada’s crime rate last year was driven by decreases in some of the most common offences, including mischief, break and enter, disturbing the peace, motor vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.