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

BREAKING House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over Nazi veteran invite with 'profound regret'
Anthony Rota has resigned from his prestigious position as Speaker of the House of Commons over his invitation to, and the House's subsequent recognition of, a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
2 dead, 4 injured in helicopter crash near Prince George, B.C.
Two people have died and four others were injured after a helicopter crashed near Prince George, B.C., Tuesday morning.
OPINION Tom Mulcair: Why Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign
Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign as House Speaker after he invited a Nazi veteran to Parliament. But, as former NDP leader Tom Mulcair writes in a column for CTVNews.ca, if history is going to retain the profound embarrassment caused by his mistake, it should also recognize the contributions Rota has made to democratic life.
NDP pressures Liberals to act on Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, impose sanctions
The federal New Democrats are calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to take action against Azerbaijan in light of escalating violence involving ethnic Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The next tool in Canada's wildfire fight could be eyes in the sky watching around the clock
A joint initiative from three government agencies aims to monitor wildfires across Canada from space. Here's how they'll do it.
Nygard used secret bedroom in his company's Toronto HQ for sexual assaults: Crown
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard had a private bedroom constructed within the walls of the Toronto headquarters of his fashion empire, where he sexually assaulted five women starting in the 1980s, prosecutors said in their opening statement in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday.
Here's how governments across Canada fared when it came to poverty in 2023: report
A new report from Food Banks Canada says governments across the country are not doing enough to address poverty.
Singapore blows up 100-kg Second World War bomb
Bomb disposal experts in Singapore successfully disposed of a 100-kilogram Second World War aerial bomb on Tuesday, police said, after evacuating more than 4,000 people living nearby.
Ontario businessman loses $38K in cheque-cashing scam
An Ontario businessman says he has to pay about $38,000 after he was the victim of a cheque-cashing scam and failed to immediately report the fraudulent activity to his bank. The businessman says that the reason for the delay is because he doesn't use online banking.