ESTEVAN — Estevan Police Chief Jamie Blunden is pleased to see a decrease in Estevan's crime severity index (CSI) number.
Statistics Canada released the comprehensive annual document July 22. It shows Estevan's figure stood at 94.23, down 19.36 per cent from the 116.85 recorded the previous year. The 2024 number is the seventh time in nine years that Estevan's CSI has been below 100.
The violent crime number stood at 112.07, a significant drop from the 165.46 recorded the previous year. Estevan's violent crime rating for 2023 was the highest it's been since the data started being tracked in the late 1990s.
The non-violent crime number was at 87.89, down from 98.4 reported in 2023.
Blunden said he was pleased to see all three numbers decrease.
"I'm very happy with where we sit, and I'm extremely excited to see that compared to Saskatchewan and Canada itself, our drops have been substantially more," Blunden said in an interview with SaskToday.
He wasn't surprised to see a local CSI decline. Blunden noted there were a couple of critical incidents in the city in 2023 that influenced Estevan's result.
"The overall crime index, with the 19 per cent drop? That was a nice touch overall," he said. "When we look at the non-violent with a 10 per cent drop, that's one where I say we can always look to improve a little bit more."
Thefts under $5,000 and mischief incidents are among the incidents that drive up the non-violent CSI.
Even before he moved from Weyburn to Estevan last summer to become Estevan's police chief, Blunden said he had an idea of where Estevan's numbers were, because he paid attention to what was happening in the Energy City.
"I had a look at where we were for stats, and went through some of the overall monthly stat presentations that they had at the [police] board, and I knew we were in a pretty good spot."
Also, one or two critical incidents can drive up the CSI in a smaller community like Estevan, Weyburn or Swift Current.
"I think we're a very safe city. We do have some issues that we have to deal with, but overall, we're a very good city to live in and I'm very happy with what we see," said Blunden.
To help improve the non-violent CSI, Blunden said people can secure their buildings and personal belongings.
"We find that crimes of opportunity right now are fairly high," said Blunden. "We're seeing a lot of bikes going missing and getting stolen. If you have your bike out and about, even in your yard, lock it up. Put it in the shed and lock the shed. Same with your lawnmower."
The EPS is also seeing a lot of thefts from vehicles right now.
"We do have issues with mental health and addictions, and sometimes crimes of opportunity present an opportunity for the individuals that are vulnerable to cash in on a few little, smaller items," he said.
While these might be classified as "nuisance calls", Blunden said they aren't minor for the victims.
"If you have a bike that goes missing or something that goes out of your car, it upsets you," said Blunden.
The EPS has also seen an increase in shoplifting, and he encouraged businesses to check their cameras and security systems to ensure the aisles are visible.
Blunden said it's nice to have an information tool that compares Estevan with the rest of Canada and Saskatchewan, particularly those of similar sizes, but in a smaller community, it has to be taken with "a grain of salt".
"You have to be able to identify why those numbers are higher or lower," he said.
The document shows the EPS and the community are doing a good job.
"If one area was out of line more than the other and if our non-violent crime was way up and well ahead of the Saskatchewan average, I think we'd have to look at that and say 'We have to come up with a plan here,'" said Blunden.
"But overall when I look at it, I think that we're doing a very good job from a community perspective and a police perspective."
Among the six Saskatchewan cities with a municipal police force, Estevan was the second lowest CSI; only Weyburn was better at 66.08.
The overall number for Saskatchewan was 153.85, down 5.13 per cent from the 162.17 recorded in 2023.
