SASKATOON -- Saskatchewan cities are once again well represented on MacLean’s list of Canada’s most dangerous places.

The magazine compiles a ranking using Statistics Canada data to reveal where incidents of serious crime per capita are most frequent, and whether things are getting better or worse over time.

North Battleford topped the crime severity list, followed by Thompson, Man. Saskatoon and Regina rank 23rd and 24th respectively.

MacLean’s uses the crime severity index – a number different from the general crime rate that measures both the volume and severity of crimes in a city as compared to the national average. MacLean’s ranked 237 urban cities with populations of 10,000 or more.

Associate professor Robert Henry at the University of Saskatchewan said the crime severity numbers can easily be skewed if there are periods of high crime.

“I don’t think it’s really painting a clear picture,” Henry said. “We can have a spike in crime happen over a week period and that would be carried across the entire year and that skews what’s really happening in the community, where there’s a lot of good things happening.”

Henry said he doesn’t like to see a knee-jerk reaction to the crime severity index list, and municipal police services falling into the belief that there’s a problem.

“It’s the data that’s out there, it’s the data that’s used, but I think we have to be very careful on how we’re interpreting the data and how we can demonize communities simply by doing this,” Henry said.

Comparing crime severities per capita in cities that have different populations has limited value for crimes such as homicides, Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper told CTV News.

For example, Moose Jaw is listed higher than Winnipeg, he said.

Prince Albert Police Chief Jon Bergen said after a review of the rankings, Prince Albert saw a drop in its crime severity index, dropping two spots to sixth place.

In a statement to CTV News, Bergen said the rankings reflect a census population of 36,000 people – but the retail population, which includes visitors coming to the city for appointments, shopping and other services, is closer to 190,000.