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Crime rate down in Greater Sudbury in 2015

Nickel City goes against national trend
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GSPS Chief Paul Pedersen says that a team-based approach to safety, security and wellness was a major part of Greater Sudbury's decrease in crime severity index and crime rate in 2015. File photo.

Greater Sudbury bucked Canadian crime trends in 2015 with one of the largest percentage decreases in both crime severity index and crime rate.

For the first time in 12 years, the crime severity index and crime rate increased in Canada. Ontario’s crime severity index increased by two per cent.

In Greater Sudbury however, crime severity index was down three per cent and crime rate dropped by five per cent in 2015.

On July 20, Statistics Canada released the police-reported crime statistics for 2015. The statistics are based on the crime severity index and crime rates broken down by province and by census metropolitan area. 

The crime severity index is a measure of police-reported crime that reflects the volume and seriousness of offences in a specific geographic area and the Crime Rate measures the volume of police-reported crime in relation to the population. 

“The Greater Sudbury Police Service cannot take sole credit for the decrease in the crime severity index and the crime rate here in Greater Sudbury. It is a team-based approach to safety, security and wellness that could not be achieved without the support of our community,” said GSPS Chief Pedersen. 

“The citizens of the City of Greater Sudbury continue to demonstrate a commitment to community safety and well-being by showing respect, vigilance and tranquility.” 

The most significant decrease seen in Greater Sudbury is with respect to the property crime rate which decreased by 10 per cent. 

Home, property and business owners have been more vigilant with their security and crime deterrent systems in order to protect their investments. 

The Greater Sudbury Police Service through the Alternative Response Unit conduct regular Notification of Community Crime (NOCC) campaigns where members and volunteers of the service go out into neighbourhoods to inform citizens of preventative measures in order to reduce the risk of being targeted for non-violent crimes. 

Through collaborative partnerships such as the Rapid Mobilization Table (RMT), Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA), Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (VIPP) and the Community Drug Strategy, the Greater Sudbury Police Service and community partners have been able to proactively address many of the issues that are prominent in our community. 

"The Greater Sudbury Police Service will continue to nurture our current partnerships and strive to establish new, collaborative, innovative and proactive partnerships to further enhance our community’s safety and well-being," said a GSPS media release.