Crime increased in 2021 in Canada due in particular to a marked increase in hate crimes and sexual assault, according to data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
Updated yesterday at 8:13 p.m.
More than 2 million Criminal Code offenses (excluding traffic offences) were reported by police in 2021, approximately 25,500 more incidents than in 2020, an increase of 1%.
Police-reported crime in Canada is measured using the Crime Severity Index (CSI). The CSI with violence increased by 5%, reaching a higher level than before the pandemic, while the CSI without violence decreased by 3%, after a decline of 9% in 2020.
Quebec is the province where the CSI is the lowest in the country: it stands at 54.3, while the Canadian average is 73.7. Quebec cities also show indices that are significantly lower than elsewhere in Canada.
The non-violent CSI, which includes, for example, property offenses and drug offences, decreased by 3%, a decline largely attributable to lower break and enter rates (-10%) and flights of $5,000 or less (-4%).
This data only measures incidents that come to the attention of the police. The 2019 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety found that just under one-third (29%) of violent and non-violent incidents were reported to the police.
Hate crimes
Hate crimes jumped 27%, from 2,646 incidents in 2020 to 3,360 incidents in 2021. Since 2019, these crimes have increased by 72%.
The pandemic has exacerbated issues related to safety and discrimination in Canada, including hate crimes, says Statistics Canada’s report.
The increase is largely explained by the increase in the number of hate crimes motivated by religion (+67%), sexual orientation (+64%) and race or ethnicity (+6%).
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Members of the Hasidic Jewish community in Montreal
The increase in complaints may mean that more hate crimes are being committed, but may also mean that these crimes are more often reported by the public. Just over one-fifth (22%) of incidents perceived to be motivated by hate were reported to the police, according to the 2019 GSS.
Sexual assaults
The increase in violent crime is primarily due to an 18% increase in the rate of level 1 sexual assaults. The increase in the number of level 1 sexual assaults was responsible for 40 % increase in IGC with violence. In contrast, the rates of level 2 and level 3 (more serious) sexual assaults decreased by 5% and 13% respectively. In total, level 1 sexual assaults accounted for 98% of sexual assaults in 2021.
Overall, police reported 34,242 sexual assaults (levels 1, 2 and 3) in 2021, which translates to a rate of 90 incidents per 100,000 population. This rate is 18% higher than that recorded in 2020, and it is the highest reached since 1996.
“The number of sexual assaults reported by police is likely a marked underestimate of the true extent of sexual assaults in Canada, since these types of offenses often go unreported to the police,” notes Statistics. Canada. For example, the most recent self-reported data, taken from the 2019 GSS on Canadians’ Safety, shows that 6% of sexual assault incidents experienced by Canadians aged 15 and older in the 12 months preceding the investigation were brought to the attention of the police. »
The pandemic-related lockdown may have exacerbated issues surrounding the under-reporting of sexual assaults in 2020, the organization says.
Homicides
In 2021, 788 homicides were committed in the country, 29 more than the previous year. Nationally, the homicide rate increased 3% from 2.00 homicides per 100,000 population in 2020 to 2.06 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021.
Police reported 190 Indigenous homicide victims, 18 fewer than in 2020. Despite this decrease, the homicide rate among Indigenous peoples (9.17 per 100,000 population) was approximately six times higher than the rate observed among non-Aboriginal people (1.55 per 100,000 people).
The homicide rate among people identified by police as belonging to a group designated as racialized increased by 34% in 2021 to reach 2.51 homicides per 100,000 people. This rate was higher than the rate observed among victims in the rest of the population (1.81 homicides per 100,000 people).
Four in 10 (41%) homicides were committed with a firearm. The weapon was found in 29% of cases. Of the 297 homicides committed with a firearm in 2021, almost half (46%) were considered by police to be gang-related.
Opioids
In 2021, 5,996 opioid-related offenses were recorded in Canada, which corresponds to a rate of 16 incidents per 100,000 population and an increase of 13% compared to 2020.
Among the provinces, the highest rates of offenses were recorded in British Columbia (57 incidents per 100,000 population), Ontario (13) and Alberta (13), while Quebec is much less affected (2 business per 100,000 inhabitants).
According to police data, the rates of offenses related to heroin (-32%), ecstasy (-25%), methamphetamine (-20%) and cocaine (-15%) all decreased. In addition, the impaired driving rate decreased by 9% compared to 2020.