Sask. RCMP responded to more violent crime last year, despite overall crime rate decreasing

The Saskatchewan RCMP say they responded to more violent crime in 2024 than in previous years and that crime rates continue to increase in areas they police, despite the opposite happening in other parts of the province. 

Overall, crime in Saskatchewan is down, "however, this is the result of crime rates decreasing for other Saskatchewan police services," according to Saskatchewan RCMP's analysis of the agency's annual crime statistics and yearly trends. 

The Saskatchewan RCMP cover most of the province geographically, but are responsible for policing 45 per cent of Saskatchewan's total population. 

Regina and Saskatoon both saw a decrease in their crime severity index score for 2024, according to the Saskatoon Police Service, Regina police and Statistics Canada's data. 

In Saskatoon, severe crime in the city fell by just under nine per cent from 2023 and in Regina, it decreased by 11 per cent for the same time period. This is consistent with a slight decrease in crime nationally, according to data from Statistics Canada. 

Saskatchewan RCMP say they are facing 45 per cent more violent crime than they did a decade ago, seeing 21,907 victims of violent crime in 2024.

Just over half those people are from the RCMP's North District, which generally lines up with areas of the province that are north of Saskatoon. 

The RCMP's data shows that violent crimes in northern Saskatchewan have doubled in the last decade. 

Assault was the most common type of violent crime that Saskatchewan RCMP handled in 2024 and much of that was tied to intimate partner violence. 

"In 2024, half of the violent crime in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction was attributed to intimate partner or family violence," according to the RCMP's stats page. Again, most of those victims are from northern Saskatchewan. 

Saskatchewan RCMP says it has the highest rate of firearm offences in Canada, with 493 in 2024. That is more than triple the amount the agency saw in 2015. 

There were 41 homicides in areas policed by the Saskatchewan RCMP in 2024. According to the agency, over the last 25 years, roughly half of Saskatchewan's total homicides have happened in their jurisdiction.