Wednesday, August 2, 1995
For release at 8:30
a.m.
1994
The crime rate in Canada dropped 5% in 1994, the third straight annual decrease. All major categories of violent and property crimes contributed to this drop. The decline was felt in most regions and in most major cities. Overall, the youth crime rate also dropped for a third straight year.
Chart
In total, police reported 2.92 million Criminal Code and other federal statute incidents. Over half were property-related, while just over 1 in 10 were violent. The remainder included offences such as mischief, impaired driving, drug offences, arson and prostitution.
Canadians regard fluctuations in the violent crime rate as an important barometer of public safety. The violent crime rate dropped 3% in 1994, the largest drop since data collection began in 1962. This decline and the slight decline in 1993 followed 15 years of annual increases in the violent crime rate.
Minor assaults accounted for 6 in 10 violent crimes. Such assaults decreased slightly in 1994, while all other more serious violent crimes showed larger decreases. The homicide rate dropped 6% in 1994. The 596 reported homicides resulted in a rate of 2.04 homicides per 100,000 population-the lowest in 25 years. The rates dropped for attempted murder (-8%), serious assault (-4%), sexual assault (-10%), other sexual offences (-10%), robbery (-5%), and abduction (-7%).
Based on a one-third sample of criminal incidents, it was found that: 4 in 10 violent incidents involved a weapon (8% involved firearms and 10% knives); 7 in 10 victims of violent crime knew their assailant; and, men and women were at equal risk of being victims of violent crime. Women were much more likely to be victims of sexual offences and somewhat more likely to be victims of minor assault. Men were much more likely to be victims of homicide, attempted murder, serious assault and robbery.
Chart
The property crime rate dropped 6% in 1994, the third consecutive decline. The rate of minor thefts (under $1,000), which account for almost half of property crime, dropped 7%. The rate of thefts over $1,000 declined slightly. Breaking and entering, considered the most serious property crime, dropped 6%.
In this text, the term crime rate refers to total police-reported Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic. Also, for incidents involving multiple offences, only the most serious offence in the incident is counted.
The figures in the tables reflect actual incidents, while the figures in the text refer to the actual number of persons charged.
In recent years, motor vehicle theft has been the only property crime on the rise, showing a 61% increase in the rate from 1988 to 1993. Although the national motor vehicle theft rate levelled off in 1994 (+1%), different patterns were evident across the country. Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario reported large increases, whereas Alberta, Newfoundland and Quebec reported large decreases. Youths aged 12 to 17 accounted for almost half the persons accused of this crime.
Youths aged 12 to 17 made up 22% of all persons charged with crimes in 1994. The crime rate for youths declined 6%, the third straight annual decline. The youth property crime rate dropped 9%, while the youth violent crime rate dropped less than 1%. From 1986 to 1993, youth violent crime had been increasing at an average annual rate of 12%.
Most youth crimes (58%) are property crimes, compared with 38% for adults. Although violent crime accounted for a smaller proportion of youths charged (18%) than adults charged (30%), youth violent crime has been increasing at a faster pace than adult violent crime. Since 1986, the youth violent crime rate has increased 124%, compared with a 40% rise for adults.
The rate of persons charged with impaired driving dropped 6% in 1994, the eleventh straight annual decline. While this downward trend may reflect the success of campaigns against drinking and drunk driving, these numbers are also directly affected by levels of police enforcement.
The rate of prostitution incidents dropped 35% in 1994. However, this may be more attributable to changes in police enforcement practices than to an actual drop in incidents of this crime.
The rate of drug incidents was up 5% in 1994, largely due to an 11% increase in cannabis incidents. All other drug incidents saw a rate decrease, including a 3% drop in cocaine incidents. The rate of cocaine incidents had tripled between 1984 and 1993.
The historical pattern of lower crime rates in the East than in the West continued in 1994. All provinces and territories followed the national trend of a decline in the crime rate in 1994-except for Manitoba, where the rate remained unchanged. Substantial decreases were experienced in Alberta (-12%) and Prince Edward Island (-13%).
Most major cities reported a drop in their overall crime rates in 1994. Both Edmonton (-19%) and Calgary (-14%) reported large decreases for the third straight year. Since 1991, the crime rate has dropped 40% in Edmonton and 30% in Calgary. This decline can be attributed to a number of factors, including a commitment to community-based policing initiatives in these two cities.
Canada's two largest cities also reported lower crime rates in 1994: both Toronto and Montréal were down 7%. In Toronto, decreases were reported in both the violent crime rate (-6%) and the property crime rate (-9%). Montréal's violent crime rate remained unchanged, while the property crime rate decreased 9%. The Montréal metropolitan area reported 30 fewer homicides in 1994 than in 1993.
Available on CANSIM: matrix 2200.
"Canadian crime statistics, 1994" appears in the vol. 15, no. 12 Juristat (85-002, $10/$90), which is now available. See "How to order publications".
For further information on these data, as well as data on the new offence of criminal harassment (stalking), contact Information and Client Services (613-951-9023, toll-free in Canada: 1-800-387-2231), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.
Table: Police-reported incidents, by most serious offence
______________________________________________________________________________
1994 1993 to 1994
______________________________________________________________________________
number rate(1) % change in rate
Violent crime 303,398 1,037.3 -3.2
Homicide 596 2.0 -6.4
Attempted murder 918 3.1 -7.7
Assaults 236,364 808.1 -1.9
Sexual assaults 31,690 108.3 -9.8
Other sexual offences 3,812 13.0 -9.6
Abduction 1,130 3.9 -7.1
Robbery 28,888 98.8 -4.6
Property crime 1,524,931 5,213.8 -5.6
Break and enter 387,877 1,326.2 -5.6
Motor vehicle theft 159,663 545.9 0.8
Theft over $1,000 116,295 397.6 -2.3
Theft $1,000 and under 727,364 2,486.9 -7.0
Having stolen goods 30,522 104.4 -2.0
Fraud 103,210 352.9 -9.7
Other Criminal Code
crimes 804,501 2,750.6 -3.7
Mischief 396,596 1,356.0 -5.6
Prostitution 5,588 19.1 -35.1
Arson 13,565 46.4 7.6
Offensive weapons 18,919 64.7 0.7
Other 369,833 1,264.5 -1.4
Total Criminal Code
excluding traffic
crimes 2,632,830 9,001.7 -4.8
Impaired driving 106,979 365.8 -10.0
Other Criminal Code
traffic crimes 78,662 268.9 -3.0
Drugs 60,594 207.2 5.5
Other federal statutes 40,492 138.4 -17.0
Total federal statutes 2,919,557 9,982.0 -4.9
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Youths aged
12 to 17
______________________________________________________________________________
as a % of total persons charged
Violent crime 15
Homicide 11
Attempted murder 15
Assaults 13
Sexual assaults 15
Other sexual offences 16
Abduction 6
Robbery 31
Property crime 30
Break and enter 40
Motor vehicle theft 45
Theft over $1,000 20
Theft $1,000 and under 31
Having stolen goods 30
Fraud 7
Other Criminal Code
crimes 18
Mischief 30
Prostitution 3
Arson 39
Offensive weapons 23
Other 15
Total Criminal Code
excluding traffic
crimes 22
Impaired driving ..
Other Criminal Code
traffic crimes ..
Drugs 11
Other federal statutes 22
Total federal statutes ..
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(1) Rates are calculated based on 100,000 population.
(..) Figures not available.
Table: Crime rates for selected cities
______________________________________________________________________________
Violent crime Property
crime
_______________________ ______________________________ _____________
1994 1993 to 1994 1994
______________________________________________________________________________
rate % change in rate rate
Halifax 1,762 2.0 7,761
Montréal 1,359 -0.1 6,703
Ottawa 1,524 -14.8 9,859
Toronto 1,252 -6.4 5,515
Winnipeg 1,371 1.8 7,877
Regina 1,091 -1.1 9,333
Calgary 858 3.1 6,271
Edmonton 1,097 -20.7 6,618
Vancouver 1,636 -4.8 13,440
______________________________________________________________________________
Property Total Criminal Code
crime
_______________________ _____________ ______________________________
1993 to 1994 1994 1993 to 1994
______________________________________________________________________________
% change in rate rate % change in rate
Halifax -13.0 13,739 -9.3
Montréal -9.4 10,278 -7.4
Ottawa -2.0 16,019 -4.5
Toronto -8.5 9,579 -7.0
Winnipeg 3.7 12,254 0.7
Regina 3.3 13,643 0.2
Calgary -14.7 8,871 -13.7
Edmonton -17.8 10,223 -19.0
Vancouver 4.5 19,260 1.4
______________________________________________________________________________
Note: Rates are calculated per 100,000 population.
1994
The homicide rate decreased in 1994 for a third straight year, reaching a 25-year low. Despite annual fluctuations, the rate has been gradually decreasing over the last 20 years after increasing sharply during the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1994 rate of 2.04 homicides per 100,000 population was 6% lower than in 1993, and 32% lower than the peak in 1975.
Chart
There were 596 homicides reported in 1994, 34 fewer than in 1993. This decrease was due primarily to a large decline in the Montréal metropolitan area (30 fewer homicides than in 1993). As a result, the province of Quebec reported its lowest homicide rate since 1968. Among the other provinces, only New Brunswick and Alberta reported an increase in their 1994 rate. Alberta's rate was still below average for that province; its 1993 rate was unusually low.
Historically, homicide rates have generally increased from east to west. This trend continued in 1994, with British Columbia recording the highest provincial rate for a third consecutive year, and Newfoundland the lowest for a second consecutive year.
Table: Homicide by province and territory
______________________________________________________________________________
1994 1993
______________________________________________________________________________
homicides rate(1) homicides
Canada 596 2.04 630
Newfoundland 4 0.69 7
Prince Edward Island 1 0.74 2
Nova Scotia 19 2.03 19
New Brunswick 15 1.98 11
Quebec 126 1.73 159
Ontario 192 1.76 193
Manitoba 29 2.56 31
Saskatchewan 24 2.36 30
Alberta 66 2.43 49
British Columbia 113 3.08 122
Yukon 3 9.97 0
Northwest Territories 4 6.22 7
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1993
______________________________________________________________________________
rate(1,r)
Canada 2.18
Newfoundland 1.20
Prince Edward Island 1.50
Nova Scotia 2.04
New Brunswick 1.46
Quebec 2.20
Ontario 1.78
Manitoba 2.75
Saskatchewan 2.96
Alberta 1.82
British Columbia 3.41
Yukon 0.00
Northwest Territories 11.04
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(1) Rates are calculated per 100,000 population using updated post-censal
estimates.
(r) Revised figures.
Crime, particularly homicide, is often considered to be an urban phenomenon. In 1994, 63% of all homicides occurred in one of Canada's 25 census metropolitan areas (CMAs). In the same year, these 25 CMAs comprised 61% of the population, meaning that major urban areas were only slightly over-represented in terms of homicide occurrences, consistent with previous years.
Among the nine CMAs with populations of 500,000 and over, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg reported the highest rates. Both Vancouver and Edmonton had fewer homicides in 1994 than in 1993. Québec and Ottawa-Hull reported the lowest rates.
Over the past 15 years, shootings have consistently accounted for about one-third of all homicides with a known cause of death. This trend continued in 1994: 90 homicides were committed with a handgun, 66 with a rifle or shotgun, 26 with a sawed-off rifle or sawed-off shotgun, and 14 with a fully automatic firearm.
Chart
Handguns accounted for 15% of all homicides, up slightly from 1993 but down from 18% in both 1991 and 1992. Other common methods included stabbing (26%), beating (18%), strangulation or suffocation (14%), fire or burns (3%), and poisoning (2%).
Table: Causes of death in homicides
1994
______________________________________________________________________________
Percentage
of all
homicides
______________________________________________________________________________
Shootings 32.9
Handguns 15.1
Rifles/shotguns 11.1
Sawed-off
rifles/shotguns 4.4
Fully automatic
firearms 2.3
Stabbings 25.8
Beatings 17.8
Strangulation/suffocat-
ion 13.9
Fire/burns 2.9
Poisoning 1.8
Other 3.9
Unknown 1.0
Total 100.0
______________________________________________________________________________
In 1994, 80% of homicide incidents were solved by police, consistent with previous years. For those incidents where an accused was identified, 18% of the victims were killed by a spouse or ex-spouse, 10% by a parent, 12% by another family member, 46% by an acquaintance, and 13% by a stranger (1% unknown).
The proportion of homicides committed by strangers has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years, ranging from 12% to 18%. The number of spousal homicides in 1994 (85) was fewer than in both 1993 (87) and 1992 (105). Spousal homicides continued to account for about 1 in 6 solved homicides.
The age of greatest risk of being a victim of homicide in 1994 was the first year of life. Of the 27 victims under one year of age, 11 were killed by their father, 9 by their mother, 3 by another family member, and 1 by an acquaintance of the family (the accused was unknown for the other 3 victims).
During the last 10 years, an average of 20 children under the age of one have been killed each year. Although children under one year of age were also at greatest risk in 1993, this pattern does not hold true for all years.
In 1994, 57 youths aged 12 to 17 were accused of committing homicide, compared with 35 in 1993 and 58 in 1992. Youths represented 11% of all accused persons in 1994, the largest proportion in 10 years. Youths accounted for an average of 8% of all homicide suspects during the last 10 years.
According to police, there was evidence of drug trafficking or the settling of drug-related accounts in 1 in 10 homicides in 1994, consistent with previous years.
Available on CANSIM: matrices 2198-2199.
"Homicide in Canada, 1994" appears in the vol. 15, no. 11 Juristat (85-002, $10/$90), which is now available. See "How to order publications".
For further information on this release, contact Information and Client Services (613-951-9023, toll-free in Canada: 1-800-387-2231), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.
Table: Homicide by census metropolitan area (500,000+ population)
______________________________________________________________________________
1994
______________________________________________________________________________
population ('000) homicides homicide rate(1)
Toronto 4,281.9 85 1.99
Montréal 3,322.4 75 2.26
Vancouver 1,774.7 48 2.70
Ottawa-Hull 1,010.3 17 1.68
Ontario 759.5 12 1.58
Quebec 250.8 5 1.99
Edmonton 888.5 24 2.70
Calgary 814.5 18 2.21
Québec 683.8 11 1.61
Winnipeg 680.5 18 2.65
Hamilton 636.9 13 2.04
Total 14,093.5 309 2.19
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1993
______________________________________________________________________________
population ('000) homicides homicide rate(1, r)
Toronto 4,189.3 71 1.69
Montréal 3,275.6 105 3.21
Vancouver 1,737.5 63 3.63
Ottawa-Hull 996.5 16 1.61
Ontario 751.7 12 1.60
Quebec 244.8 4 1.63
Edmonton 881.0 27 3.06
Calgary 800.7 10 1.25
Québec 682.9 13 1.90
Winnipeg 674.3 17 2.52
Hamilton 632.6 8 1.26
Total 13,870.4 330 2.38
______________________________________________________________________________
(1) Rates are calculated per 100,000 population.
(r) Revised figures.
Juristat: Homicide in Canada, 1994. Vol. 15, no. 11
Catalogue number 85-002
(Canada: $10/$90; United States: US$12/US$108; other countries:
US$14/US$126).
Juristat: Canadian crime statistics, 1994. Vol. 15, no.
12
Catalogue number 85-002
(Canada: $10/$90; United States: US$12/US$108; other countries:
US$14/US$126).