Although there is clearly more work to do, Estevan's crime numbers are mostly trending in the right direction, according to the 2012 police reported crime statistics.
The report, which was released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Justice Statistics, showed Estevan's Crime Severity Index dropped by 14.56 per cent to 142.40 in 2012.
Estevan also had a significant drop in its non-violent crime index, as it declined by 18.53 per cent to 155.83.
The negative in the report is a slight jump in the violent crime severity index. Estevan's index rose by 6.7 per cent and sits at 104.68.
Complied annually, the report is a measure of the overall volume of crime recorded by police, while the crime severity index is a measure of the severity of that crime.
Chief Del Block of the Estevan Police Service said while he is pleased to see the decrease in the crime severity index, the rise in violent crimes was an area of concern.
"It's encouraging to see the drops but on the other hand, in the violent crime, you see an increase of 6.7, which is not what we want to see," Block said. "Even though it is positive to see those drops, by no means are they where we want to see them."
Block attributed the declines to an increase in the number of officers, noting that council has provided extra funding to the EPS for additional resources over the past couple of years.
"That has allowed us to staff up properly and we have the resources to go out there and try and make some changes. When you see the decreases, that is because there is adequate resources to go out and meet those challenges. Without that staffing, we would really be up against the wall. I think you would see those numbers going the other way."
Block said he would obviously like to see the violent crime numbers down, but admitted that is tough task due to the nature of it.
"Unfortunately on violent crime, it is, for the most part, reactive, because we don't get a call until it has happened," said Block, who feels a big factor in the violent crimes is drug and alcohol addiction issues in the city.
"Whether it be alcohol or drugs, almost all of your violent crime can be tied back to that."
Although Estevan experienced a decrease in 2012, it still ranks fourth for Crime Severity Indexes among Saskatchewan cities with 10,000 or more residents, and 20th overall in Canada. The city's violent crime index was the 49th highest in Canada while the non-violent crime index was the 15th highest.
North Battleford was the runaway leader in Canada with a CSI of 352.9. Prince Albert was second in Saskatchewan and sixth in the country at 203.21. Yorkton was third in Saskatchewan and eighth in Canada with a CSI of 165.56.
Locally, Weyburn had a CSI of 103.15 which was the 57th highest index in the country. Weyburn's non-violent crime index of 115.6, was the 39th highest in Canada.
Carlyle had a CSI of 155.29 in 2012, a violent crime index of 173.66 and a non-violent index of 148.28. Carnduff reported a CSI of 61.26 while the non-violent crime index was 72.56.
Provincially, Saskatchewan had a four per cent decrease in 2012 but also has some work to do as it continues to lead all provinces with a CSI of 139. Manitoba was second at 112.4 while B.C. was third at 93.4. The province's overall crime rate saw a seven per cent decrease but still remains significantly higher than second place Manitoba.
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