The Edmonton Police Service recently held a news conference to discuss statistics showing a decrease of 11 percent in the crime rate in Edmonton in 2023 compared to the previous year. While the national police-reported crime rate in Canada went up by three percent, Edmonton experienced a marked difference. The EPS credited targeted initiatives, properly resourced with EPS members and partners, for driving down the overall crime rate. Initiatives such as the Community Accelerator program and Safer Public Spaces had a positive impact on combating crimes like theft and social disorder in Edmonton’s downtown core and surrounding communities.
Despite the overall decrease in crime, the violent crime severity index for Edmonton rose by four percent in the same period, primarily due to an increase in firearms and weapons-related crimes. The EPS acknowledged that violent crime remains a major concern in the city, but they are beginning to see progress with their targeted initiatives. Retired police officer and chair of justice studies at NorQuest College, Dan Jones, emphasized the importance of understanding how initiatives are linked to crime reduction and commended EPS for providing more than just two years of statistics to support their claims.
In addition to the increase in violent crime severity, there was also a notable increase in the reporting of fraud in 2023, up by 7.7 percent since 2022. Insp. Tim Horon stressed the importance of educating the public on the methods used by fraudsters to impact the community. The EPS works with tech sector partners to keep up with new fraud techniques and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of fraud among citizens. Extortion also became a growing concern for EPS in 2023, partly due to the Gaslight project investigating threats against area homebuilders. Anderson highlighted the issue of unreported crimes, particularly in cases of sexual assault where only 38 percent get reported, encouraging everyone to report crimes to the police.
Dan Jones acknowledged the limitations of police data, as many crimes go unreported due to factors such as apathy or a lack of belief in the benefits of reporting. He noted that some individuals may not report crimes like theft if they perceive them as minor or not worth the deductible. Apathy may be on the rise, fueled by factors like increased reliance on digital tools for human connection. Jones suggested that lack of compassion for others could also contribute to increasing apathy towards reporting crimes. Overall, there is a need for continued education and awareness efforts to combat crime and encourage community members to report criminal activities to the police.
