Statistics Canada Report on Criminal Victimization in the Territories

Earlier this week, Statistics Canada published an article on Criminal victimization in the territories, 2009 in its journal Juristat.

Canada's Northern territories are Nunavut, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

Among the highlights:

• In the provinces, both self-reported and police-reported data show that the vast majority of crimes in 2009 were non-violent in nature. The picture drawn from self-reported data in the territories, however, is slightly different. These data show that nearly half (46%) of all self-reported incidents in the territories in 2009 were violent
• In 2009, 34% of residents of the three territories aged 15 and over reported to the General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization that they had been the victim of at least one criminal incident in the 12 months preceding the survey
• Of the 38,000 self-reported incidents in the territories that were violent, assault was the most common crime reported. The remainder of reported incidents were crimes against the household (35%) or thefts of personal property (19%). In contrast, the vast majority (70%) of self-reported criminal incidents in the provinces were non-violent
• About 1 in every 5 violent incidents in the territories was reported to have been committed by a current or former spouse or partner. Rates of spousal violence were highest for young adults aged 15 to 34, Aboriginal people and those living in a low income household
• For non-spousal violent incidents in the territories, most victims (66%) said they knew the perpetrator, and 78% said the incident could be related to the offender's alcohol or drug use. A weapon was present in close to one-quarter (24%) of all non-spousal violent incidents, and more than one-third (36%) of violent incidents resulted in physical injury
• More than 9 in 10 residents of the territories reported being satisfied with their personal safety. The majority of residents (88%) of the territories believed the police were doing an average or good job in ensuring the safety of citizens