Edmonton police release data on violent crime increase amid calls for bail reform
CBC
Data from Edmonton Police Service show recent spikes in violent crime and crime severity in the city.
Edmonton's violent crime rate (per 100,000 people) increased by 16.5 per cent last year, according to statistics EPS shared at a media briefing Friday morning.
The number of violent criminal incidents in Edmonton rose from 12,909 in 2021 to 15,040 last year.
"2022 represents the highest number of violent criminal incidents ever reported in a single year," said Sean Tout, EPS's executive director of information management and intelligence.
Tout said the trend has carried into 2023, with violent criminal occurrences increasing by about six per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of last year.
The numbers of some types of crimes, like sexual assault and kidnapping, decreased last year, but robberies, harassing communications and level one assault, the least serious type, have all increased by more than 20 per cent.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the statistics are concerning.
"That is why we have increased police funding," he said.
EPS also shared data on offenders' involvement with Edmonton police after being released from custody in light of recent advocacy for changes to the federal bail system.
"It demonstrates where the EPS has seen an increase in violent crime, the types of crime committed and the number of preventable incidents that have harmed citizens and officers as a result of violent offenders being arrested and quickly released," EPS said in a news release.
EPS unveiled the statistics as provincial and territorial premiers met virtually with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to discuss bail reform.
Alberta's justice minister, Tyler Shandro, and other provincial politicians, have been calling on the federal government to amend the Criminal Code of Canada, reversing changes that made obtaining bail easier.
In 2019, the Liberals passed Bill C-75, which made changes to the Criminal Code. The changes were intended to streamline the bail process, address the overrepresentation of racialized people behind bars and emphasize a "principle of restraint," ensuring release was favoured over detention, when appropriate.
EPS compiled two sets of statistics, each tracking people who were involved in police occurrences after being arrested and released for certain types of crimes.
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This First Person article is the experience of Kristine Thoreson, who lives in Calgary. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.