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South Okanagan Photos

Update – crime stats

Update – ODN checked with Stats Canada

If it is a rural detachment – there is not distinction between a rural area or a town of less than 5000 persons
In the case of both Osoyoos and Oliver – the stats are Town/Rural and not broken out

To add some fuel to story for the stats watchers

Crime Severity Index – overall

Osoyoos

2014 132.30
2016 102.39
2018 151.16

Oliver

2014 110.80
2016 089.70
2018 145.46

Non violent CSI

Osoyoos

2014 158.46
2016 115.88
2018 187.65

Oliver

2014 119.89
2016 106.64
2018 134.01

I think we can agree – crime is on the rise. But watch your comparisons. The dynamics of Osoyoos and Oliver completely different in many ways.

Lock up your valuables and crime stats will fall. Drug related murders are confined to the those involved. We all should be concerned but NOT live in fear.

***

District of Oliver (rural and town) saw their crime severity numbers skyrocket due to a pair of homicides.

The CSI is the primary metric used by Maclean’s magazine for its controversial annual “most dangerous” communities of Canada rankings. The national crime severity index came in at 75, while B.C. was 87.7.

Data on the Okanagan’s communities is below, with general CSI scores and violent CSI (VCSI) scores and year-over-year increases.

  • Penticton CSI: 145.75 (+ 1.15 per cent) VCSI: 70.22 (-20.3 per cent)
  • Vernon CSI: 131.66 (+ 2.8 per cent) VCSI: 105.35 (-8.59 per cent)
  • Kelowna CSI: 118.77 (+ 9.6 per cent) VCSI: 51.8 (-25.4 per cent)
  • Lake Country CSI: 60.48 (+ 31.22 per cent) VCSI: 44.13 (+81.1 per cent)
  • Osoyoos (rural) CSI: 151.11 (-2.6 per cent) VCSI: 48.7(+5.1 per cent)
  • Oliver (rural) CSI: 145.96 (+3 5 per cent) VCSI: 176.35 (+189.2 per cent)

* Interesting to note that Osoyoos CSI was higher than Oliver

The severity of violent crime fell in most of the Okanagan last year, while overall crime inched upwards, according to new data from Stats Canada.

The Crime Severity Index is published annually for every police detachment in Canada, calculating a number based on crime per capita while adding more weight to serious and violent crimes.

The CSI’s benchmark is 100, which is based on the national crime severity index in 2006. A figure above 100 indicates crime severity has grown since 2006, while a sub-100 CSI corresponds to a shrink in crime.

In the 2018 data released last week

Kelowna’s CSI up 9.55 per cent to 118.77. Violent crime fell more than 25 per cent to 51.80.

Penticton, CSI up 1.15 per cent to 145.75. Violent crime index also fell there 20.32 per cent to 70.22.

Vernon’s CSI up 2.87 per cent to 131.66. Violent crime fell 8.59 per cent to 105.35.

Graphic source: Dreamstime
Files edited – Castanet
Further sources Stats Canada