Ottawa and Gatineau had lower rates of police-reported crime than the national average in 2007, according to a new survey by Statistics Canada.
The study looked at crime rates in Canada -- and for the first time the severity of those crimes -- between 1998 and 2007. The Crime Severity Index is a new tool that measures not just the number of criminal offences, but also the seriousness of those crimes.
In Ottawa, police reported 5,399 crimes per 100,000 people in 2007. That translates to an index score of 76.6 - below the Canada-wide average of 95 for major urban areas.
Ottawa had 890 reported cases of violent crime in 2007. Among Canada's nine largest cities, only Calgary had fewer.
Gatineau scored 81.8, while Kingston rated a 72.7 on the severity scale.
Ontario and Quebec had the lowest provincial rates of police-reported crime in 2007. But when the severity-level is factored in, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have the lowest rates in the country.
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C. had crime severity index ratings that were higher than the other provinces and territories.
The survey found that police-reported crime was less severe, overall, in 2007 than a decade earlier.
Crime severity dropped by 21 per cent between 1998 and 2007. The decline was driven largely by a 40 per cent drop in the number of break-ins in Canada.
The StatsCan numbers show police-reported crime was already on the decline before the Conservative government took office.
A Canadian Press article suggested that doesn't line up with the Conservatives' position that serious crime is growing problem -- one that can only be tackled by a government that is tough on crime.
The Conservatives have introduced a number of bills to do that, pushing for mandatory minimum sentences for serious or violent crimes involving weapons.
With files from CTV.ca
