Rocky Mtn. House makes top 10 on Crime Severity Index

The province saw a large increase when it came to the Crime Severity Index (CSI) last year, but for the first time Rocky Mountain House made it onto the list.
 
In 2016, the index rated Rocky at number nine in the country.

The Crime Severity Index is a national rating that takes into account not only the change in volume of a particular crime, but also the relative seriousness of that crime in comparison to others. Statistics Canada says it is used to help determine whether crime coming to the attention of police is more or less serious than before and if police-reported crime in a given city, town or province more or less serious than in Canada overall.

Rocky Mtn. House Staff Sergeant Mark Groves says the local increase is due to the geographical area his detachment covers, and because the report classified the Rocky Mountain House detachment in the 10,000 population category. 

“With that diverse type aspect to our detachment it just showed that you know we had numerous stabbings in certain areas,” he said. “We had several shootings, we had a good number of sexual assaults, and with the seriousness of those crimes it elevated our statistics up in the CSI.”

Groves adds that over the last six months Rocky Mountain House statistically is showing great improvements while other detachments between Calgary and Edmonton have seen huge increases, some areas by as much as 18 to 40 per cent in many crime categories. 

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“Ours have dropped anywhere from 17 per cent down to 68 per cent and in some of the rural county areas there has been about an 80 per cent reduction in crime” Groves notes.

This year, a new strategic plan had been put in place for Rocky RCMP and Clearwater County Police in an effort to help reduce crime all across the board in town and in the county.

“I’ve seen some decreases in crime throughout everywhere. It’s wherever you look in different zones we’re down so I think if we continue to see a decrease in crime with our projected goals in mind I don’t see us making that list next year, I’d be very surprised if we did.”