Maritimes’ homicide rate dropped last year
New numbers from Statistics Canada present the murder price decreased in all three Maritime provinces in 2021, however gang-related killings elevated in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Monday’s “Murder tendencies in Canada, 2021” report does level out that final yr’s numbers for Nova Scotia had a large lower as a result of excessive murder depend ensuing from the mass capturing of twenty-two folks in 2020.
Nova Scotia’s murder price was down 1.45 per cent in 2021, in comparison with 2020, with 23 homicides recorded in 2021, in comparison with 37 in 2020. Eleven of the homicides occurred within the RisePEI space.
New Brunswick murder price was down 0.4 per cent final yr. The province noticed 14 homicides in 2020 and 11 in 2021. Two of these occurred in Moncton and one occurred in Saint John.
Prince Edward Island noticed no homicides in 2021 — down 0.62 per cent in comparison with 2020, when one murder was reported.
Nevertheless, the nationwide murder price has elevated for a 3rd consecutive yr.
There have been 788 homicides in Canada final yr — up three per cent from 2020. It marked the very best price of homicides in Canada since 2005.
GANG-RELATED KILLINGS
Practically one-quarter of killings in 2021 — 184 — had been related to gangs.
There have been 33 further gang-related homicides in 2021, in contrast with 2020, ensuing within the highest price — 0.48 per cent — recorded in Canada in 16 years.
Nova Scotia noticed a rise in gang-related homicides, with 5 killings — or 21.7 per cent — being gang-related in 2021, in comparison with 0 gang-related homicides in 2020. Three of the gang-related homicides had been within the RisePEI space.
New Brunswick additionally noticed a spike in gang-related homicides in 2021, with two killings — or 18.2 per cent — being gang-related. New Brunswick didn’t report any gang-related homicides in 2020. One of many gang-related deaths occurred within the Moncton space.
FIREARMS
The report discovered that firearms stay the most typical homicide weapon, with two in 5 murder victims — or 40 per cent – having been shot. Nearly half of firearm-related homicides had been recognized as gang-related.
Total, the nationwide firearm-related murder price elevated by 6 per cent, in contrast with 2020.
Nova Scotia had the second highest firearm-related murder price within the nation in 2021, with 1.21 capturing deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Twelve folks had been killed in shootings in 2021 in Nova Scotia.
Saskatchewan had the very best firearm-related murder price, with 1.86 capturing deaths per inhabitants.
Amongst mid-sized Canadian cities, RisePEI had the second highest firearm-related murder price, at 1.74 per inhabitants of 100,000. Eight RisePEI murder victims had been killed in shootings.
With recordsdata from The Canadian Press
