Police-Reported Crime Rises for 3rd Straight Year: Statistics Canada

Police tape at a crime scene in Toronto on May 2, 2017. (The Canadian Press/Graeme Roy)

The volume and severity of police-reported crime rose for the third consecutive year in 2023, with increased reporting of child pornography being the largest contributor, a new Statistics Canada report says.

Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) increased by 2 percent in 2023, continuing an upward trend observed since 2015. The rise of the index, which assesses both the number and relative severity of crimes, was driven primarily by a 52 percent increase in reported rates of child pornography compared to 2022, according to StatCan’s July 25 report.

The rise in child pornography cases is directly linked to a growing public awareness of the issue and the subsequent increase in reports to police, the statistical agency said. Other drivers of CSI growth are shoplifting rates, up 18 percent; fraud rates, up 12 percent; and car thefts, up 5 percent.

In 2023, police reported 21,417 incidents of child pornography, which is sometimes referred to as child sexual exploitation or abuse material, StatCan said. Seventy-six percent related to making or distributing such material, and the rest involved possessing or accessing the material.

Nearly 80 percent of the increase in the child pornography rate was reported in British Columbia, while Alberta reported 14 percent. Manitoba, by contrast, saw a decrease in child pornography reports.

Child pornography offences accounted for approximately 5 percent of the overall CSI value. The year-over-year increase was a reflection of an upward trend seen since 2008.

A large proportion of child pornography cases included a cyber component, with cybercrime accounting for nearly 80 percent of child pornography reports and 20 percent of reports regarding sexual violations against children. Ninety-seven percent of the increase in child pornography incidents reported in 2023 had a cybercrime component, according to Statistics Canada.

Homicide Rate Decreased

The homicide rate fell by 14 percent in 2023, with approximately 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population. This comes after Canada recorded its highest homicide level in 30 years in 2022, according to StatCan, when the number of cases increased in B.C. by 30 homicides, in Manitoba by 26, and in Quebec by 20.

In 2023, meanwhile, almost all provinces recorded fewer homicides, with B.C. and Ontario reporting at least 30 fewer cases. The largest increases were recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador, with five more homicides, and in the Northwest Territories, with three more reported cases.

Car Theft, Robbery on Rise

The rate of motor vehicle theft increased for the third consecutive year, up 5 percent over 2022. Most of the rate increase was attributed to Ontario and Quebec, which had a 16 percent and 15 percent rise respectively. Although the three Prairie provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba—reported the highest car theft rates among all provinces that year, they recorded rate decreases in 2023.

Despite the rise in auto theft, rates are still nearly 50 percent less than 25 years ago, StatCan said.

The robbery rate rose for the second consecutive year, increasing 4 percent in 2023, although it remained 5 percent lower than in 2019 and 46 percent less than 25 years ago. Police reported a total of 23,651 robbery cases last year.

The rate of breaking and entering, the most severe type of property crime, was down 5 percent from the previous year, with 130,748 incidents reported in 2023.

Shoplifting saw a sharp increase (18 percent) in 2023, despite a significant decline three years earlier, at the start of the pandemic. In 2023, police reported 155,280 incidents, an 18 percent increase over 2022.

Fraud, Extortion Rates Up

Fraud rates were the second largest contributor to the rise of CSI value, increasing by 12 percent last year. This accounted for 9 percent of the total CSI value, according to the report.

However, fraud levels could be higher because a large number of cases are not reported to the police, StatCan said. According to a 2019 survey on Canadians’ safety, only one in 10 victims reported fraud they had experienced in the previous five years.

Meanwhile, extortion rates, which the agency says are often associated with fraud, rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2023, showing an increase of 35 percent. Nearly half of the extortion cases were reported as cybercrimes, and almost one-quarter of all fraud incidents—including identity theft and identity fraud—were classified in the same category.

Cyber fraud and cyber extortion accounted for 60 percent of all cybercrimes in 2023.