The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said the city continues to head in the right direction in some key categories of Statistics Canada’s annual police-reported crime statistics for 2023 because of various initiatives and partnerships.Statistics Canada said Edmonton’s crime rate decreased by 11% in 2023 from 2022, but the national one increased 3% from the previous year. This marks one of the largest decreased crime rates among Canadian metropolitan cities in 2023. “We have developed and deployed successful, targeted initiatives that are now properly resourced with EPS members and our partners,” said EPS Chief Innovation and Technology Officer Ron Anderson in a Wednesday press release. “Initiatives such as the Edmonton Police Foundation’s Community Accelerator program, which applied focused strategies to combat crimes such as liquor store and catalytic converter theft, began to pay dividends in 2023.”Anderson said Safer Public Spaces had an impact on Edmonton’s downtown core and surrounding communities. He added the Alberta government’s navigation centre and LRT deployments look promising for the first two quarters of 2024. While Edmonton’s crime rate has gone down, Statistics Canada said the crime severity index (CSI) has gone up for three consecutive years nationwide. However, it said the national violent CSI remains unchanged (0.4%) and saw a 4% increase in violent crime rates — driven by assault, robbery, and extortion. Edmonton’s violent CSI increased by 4% in 2023 — a trend repeat offenders continued to play a significant role in. Its overall CSI remained stable (0.6%) between 2022 and 2023.Anderson concluded by saying violent crime “continues to be a major concern in our city.” While EPS will continue to push forward on fighting crime, he said it is beginning to see some tangible traction with its initiatives. “EPS will continue to rely on evidence and data to deploy resources effectively while working collaboratively with our partners,” he said. EPS Chief Dale McFee said in September criminals are not welcome in Edmonton. READ MORE: CRIME CRACK DOWN: Edmonton Police Service chief says 'Enough is enough'“Enough is enough,” said McFee. The Western Standard witnessed EPS cracking down on crime as officers were observed checking vagrants' shopping carts and enforcing the law when it came to open air drug use.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said the city continues to head in the right direction in some key categories of Statistics Canada’s annual police-reported crime statistics for 2023 because of various initiatives and partnerships.Statistics Canada said Edmonton’s crime rate decreased by 11% in 2023 from 2022, but the national one increased 3% from the previous year. This marks one of the largest decreased crime rates among Canadian metropolitan cities in 2023. “We have developed and deployed successful, targeted initiatives that are now properly resourced with EPS members and our partners,” said EPS Chief Innovation and Technology Officer Ron Anderson in a Wednesday press release. “Initiatives such as the Edmonton Police Foundation’s Community Accelerator program, which applied focused strategies to combat crimes such as liquor store and catalytic converter theft, began to pay dividends in 2023.”Anderson said Safer Public Spaces had an impact on Edmonton’s downtown core and surrounding communities. He added the Alberta government’s navigation centre and LRT deployments look promising for the first two quarters of 2024. While Edmonton’s crime rate has gone down, Statistics Canada said the crime severity index (CSI) has gone up for three consecutive years nationwide. However, it said the national violent CSI remains unchanged (0.4%) and saw a 4% increase in violent crime rates — driven by assault, robbery, and extortion. Edmonton’s violent CSI increased by 4% in 2023 — a trend repeat offenders continued to play a significant role in. Its overall CSI remained stable (0.6%) between 2022 and 2023.Anderson concluded by saying violent crime “continues to be a major concern in our city.” While EPS will continue to push forward on fighting crime, he said it is beginning to see some tangible traction with its initiatives. “EPS will continue to rely on evidence and data to deploy resources effectively while working collaboratively with our partners,” he said. EPS Chief Dale McFee said in September criminals are not welcome in Edmonton. READ MORE: CRIME CRACK DOWN: Edmonton Police Service chief says 'Enough is enough'“Enough is enough,” said McFee. The Western Standard witnessed EPS cracking down on crime as officers were observed checking vagrants' shopping carts and enforcing the law when it came to open air drug use.
