REGINA — Over one-quarter of violent crime committed in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction is intimate partner violence (IPV), and victims in a dating relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend overwhelmingly lead those experiencing IPV, according to 2024 RCMP data.
“Dating violence is a consistent issue. Whether people have been dating for two weeks or two years, this is the largest group experiencing intimate partner violence,” says Sgt. Nick Smyth, who heads Saskatchewan RCMP’s Interpersonal Violence Outreach unit.
2024 Saskatchewan RCMP data shows that individuals in dating relationships were more often victims of IPV, making up 60 per cent of reported victims last year. When combined with those who experienced violence from an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, violence by a current or former dating partner totaled 81 per cent of IPV victims across RCMP jurisdiction. This compares to 16 per cent of victims who reported violence in a spousal relationship, and two per cent from an ex-spouse.
This is not a new trend. Saskatchewan RCMP crime statistics show that dating violence represents an average 58 per cent of all IPV victims for each of the past five years and consistently surpasses the spousal violence average of 18 per cent from 2020 to 2024. Violence by an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend over the past five years accounts for an average of 20 per cent of all IPV victims, while violence by a former spouse made up an average of two per cent of IPV victims across Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction from 2020 to 2024.
86 per cent of intimate partner victims report being physically assaulted
Incidents of assault topped Saskatchewan RCMP reported intimate partner violence crime types in 2024, with 86 per cent of victims reporting that they had been assaulted. The next most common IPV crime types in 2024 were criminal harassment and uttering threats which made up seven per cent, followed by sexual assaults and other sexual offences which made up five per cent.
About five per cent of victims reported being criminally harassed and four per cent reported they were verbally threatened. These trends are consistent with RCMP statistics over the past five years where assault is the most common IPV offence.
Distribution of intimate images
Breach of privacy can also be an IPV crime. In 2024, Saskatchewan RCMP officers responded to 53 victims of non-consensual distribution of intimate images crimes involving current or former intimate partners. This number is up 60 per cent from 2023, when RCMP officers investigated reports from 33 victims. According to 2024 Saskatchewan RCMP data, 91 per cent of IPV victims of this crime reported being in a current or former dating relationship with the perpetrator.
In total, Saskatchewan RCMP received 211 reports of this IPV offence type over five years, and 266 since it became a Criminal Code offence in 2018.
If you or someone you know is experiencing dating violence, call 310-RCMP to report it to police or contact Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com to share information anonymously. In an emergency, always call 911.
Saskatchewan RCMP Crime Statistics and Yearly Trends
This data and information is being shared as part of the Saskatchewan RCMP’s release of 2024 crime statistics and yearly trends. Each year, Statistics Canada reports on the number and type of criminal incidents occurring across the country. They also calculate and release a Crime Severity Index – a summary measure of the volume and severity of crime reported to police – per police area, province and the country as a whole. The information we are sharing as part of this release is specific to Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction
Link to Saskatchewan RCMP data and analysis: Saskatchewan RCMP annual crime statistics and yearly trends | Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Link to Statistics Canada (note that community-specific data is separate from the report): Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2024
