Saskatoon has 6th highest crime severity score among major Canadian cities
Saskatoon saw no change in its Crime Severity Index score last year after a 10 per cent drop in 2020.
The city's score of 106 is the sixth highest among communities with at least 100,000 people. Regina came in fifth highest with a score of 111.
The index measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada and is released annually by Statistics Canada. The national average was 74.
In an email to CTV News, Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) spokesperson Brad Jennings said Saskatoon saw an increase in the number of violent crimes, criminal code violations for guns and drugs, sexual violations against children, theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) and robbery.
Homicides and property crimes were down.
And while Statistics Canada noted an increase in hate crimes, Jennings said it is likely due to better tracking and reporting from police services across Canada.
"There could be an increase in incidents themselves, but better data tracking could be responsible for the increase in numbers we are seeing. As an example, the SPS recently established a hate crimes unit and online tool to report hate/bias motivated crimes."
PRINCE ALBERT RANKS HIGH
In Prince Albert, the police service said in a news release that the city ranks fourth among communities with a core population of over 10,000 people — but that the ranking needs context.
The "retail population" of Prince Albert, which includes the number of people who come for services, medical appointments, or entertainment, is close to 190,000 people and larger than census statistics, Prince Albert Police Service said in a news release.
“We continue to track crime trends on a daily basis and our focus remains on proactive engagement and initiatives that support prevention and public safety,” Chief Jonathan Bergen said.
“We know we are not alone in working to address the challenges our community is facing, and we continue to work with governments at all levels and our community to engage on solutions and initiatives that support the health and safety of all residents.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Mideast ministers in Ottawa to discuss Israel-Hamas war with Joly, Trudeau
A group of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are in Ottawa today for a quietly planned meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to discuss attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war.
Minnesota grocery store clerk dies after customer impales him with a golf club, police say
A Minneapolis store clerk died after a customer beat him and impaled him with a golf club, police said. The 66-year-old clerk was attacked Friday at the Oak Grove Grocery, a small neighborhood store in a residential area near downtown Minneapolis. A 44-year-old suspect is jailed on suspicion of murder.
BREAKING Shohei Ohtani agrees to record $700 million, 10-year contract with Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani has opted to stay in southern California, and the Toronto Blue Jays have missed out on landing a generational talent.
B.C. Amber Alert cancelled, 2-month-old child found safe
Mounties in Surrey, B.C., say the two-month-old child who was the subject of an Amber Alert Saturday afternoon has been found safe.
Ibrahim Ali found guilty of killing 13-year-old girl in B.C.
A jury has found Ibrahim Ali guilty of killing a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a Burnaby, B.C., park in 2017.
A pregnant Texas woman asked a court for permission to get an abortion, despite a ban. What's next?
Kate Cox, a mother of two in Texas, became pregnant again in August but soon after learned devastating news: Her baby has a fatal condition and is likely to either be stillborn or die shortly after birth.
Thousands of revelers descend on NYC for annual Santa-themed bar crawl SantaCon
Here come Santa Clauses. Again. Throngs of people dressed as jolly Old St. Nick descended on New York City for the annual SantaCon charity pub crawl on Saturday.
Extremely rare white alligator is born at a Florida reptile park
An extremely rare white leucistic alligator has been born at a Florida reptile park. The 19.2-inch (49 cm) female slithered out of its shell and into the history books as one of a few known leucistic alligators, Gatorland Orlando said Thursday.
A Soviet-era statue of a Red Army commander taken down in Kyiv
City workers in Kyiv on Saturday dismantled an equestrian statue of a Red Army commander, the latest Soviet monument to be removed in the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year.