Severe crime in the municipality rose in 2017 according to Statistics Canada.
Last year, the Crime Severity Index (CIS) was 92.68, an 11.77 per cent increase from 2016 when the index was 82.92.
The number of “actual incidents” in 2017 — including all criminal code offences and traffic violations — also increased to 6,775 compared to 5,985 in 2016.
Stats-Can is also reporting that severe crime in the rural areas of the region increased for the fifth year in a row.
In 2017 the CSI was 511.33, a 6.50 per cent increase from 480.11 in 2016.
The number of “actual incidents” the RCMP responded to in rural communities was 1,573, a jump from 1,448 a year earlier.
The RMWB sits below the provincial index of 110.1, a 4.9 per cent increase from 104.98 in 2016.
Nationally, the CSI is 72.87 a 1.62 per cent increase from 71.71 in 2016.
