Annual homicides and firearms-related offences in Sask. have almost tripled in last 10 years: RCMP

Saskatchewan RCMP'slatest crime stats reportsays the province is topping the country in many categories.

Friday's report compared 2023to 2014.Saskatchewan saw a 275 per centincrease in homicide victims, a 271 per cent increase in firearm offencesand a 79 per cent increase in assaults on RCMP officers over the course of 2023,compared to 2014.

Assaults, property crimesand motor vehicle thefts all also saw upticks of morethan 40 per cent in that period.

"It's significantly concerning for all of us, right from myself to down to our members and our front-line positions in our communities," Saskatchewan RCMP commanding officer Rhonda Blackmore said.

As of June, homicide numbers for 2024 have already matched or surpassed the annual numbers from 2014, 2018and 2019.

RCMP say44 per cent of those accused of homicide in the last five years were in custody or community supervision at the time the homicide was committed.

The Saskatchewan RCMP is responsible for policing 46 per cent of the province's population. In 2023, 60 per cent of criminal code violations fell in the RCMP's jurisdiction, according to the report.

Blackmore said RCMP are trying toreducecrime rates by working alongside community members and recruiting more officers to fill vacancies.

"I don't think [the statistics] are reflective of the work, because there is exceptional work being done out there," Blackmore said.

She pointed to clearance rates.Statistics Canada calculates clearance rates on a weighted scale, with more serious offencesgiven more weight.For example, clearing homicides, robberies or break and enters is given more weight thanclearingminor theft, mischief or disturbing the peace.

Saskatchewan's weighted clearance rate is behind only Quebec and Manitoba. Blackmore said this demonstrates the workRCMP officers have put in.

"It speaks to dedication, but we also have to look at the complexity ofcrime, right? So we have to have more resources to be available to address those," she said.

The RCMP divides the province into three areas the north, centraland south districts. While the north district represents 27 per cent of the population, it still accounts for more than half of property and violent crimes.

"Some of the things that we're seeing are some of those vulnerable communities being impacted by gangs from outside of their community, outside of the province," Blackmore said.

Saskatchewan has 201 officers per 100,000 people higher than the national average of 178, according to Statistics Canada. Despite that, Saskatchewan still has the most Criminal Code incidents per police officer among provinces

Saskatchewan also has had the highest criminal code caseload for the last 25 years, according to Statistics Canada.

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Deputy chief Cam McBride says the homicides and assaults in early 2024 do not indicate the city is more violent, but police are concerned about drugs, guns, and gangs.

Statistics Canada released its 2023 police-reported crime statistics report on Thursday. It said Saskatchewan has topped all provinces in crime rate and crime severity index.

Saskatchewan also ranked worst among provincesfor violent crime, property crime, family violenceand intimate partner violence.

Blackmore said law enforcement is only one part of the solution. She said a concerted multi-agency response is needed to address issues of addictions, gang violenceand an absence of community resources.

"Our employees are working hard to provide the best possible policing services to the people of Saskatchewan," she said.