It appears the "City of Champions" is becoming the city of violent crime after the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) released its 2022 crime stats Friday..Edmonton’s total crime rate increased by 11.3% last year compared to 2021, while Edmonton’s overall violent crime rate rose by 16.5% in 2022..Sean Tout, EPS' executive director of Information Management and Intelligence gave the 2022 year-end crime analysis. In addition, EPS released local data to contextualize calls for bail reform, the substance of which will be discussed in a meeting between Canada’s premiers and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Friday..The EPS said the year-end crime analysis provides an overview of crime, violence and victimization in the city. The 2022 analysis reflects some normalization of crime trends following the COVID-19 pandemic and a city-wide reduction in crime, non-violent offences, and dispatched calls..Unfortunately, these reductions are overshadowed by concerning increases in violence, including a significant rise in citywide violent crime and the number of victims, a sharp increase in the number of violent incidents occurring in downtown Edmonton neighbourhoods and on transit, and an increase in the use or presence of weapons.."The EPS seeks to continually adapt and evolve in meeting the needs of Edmontonians while being responsive to an increasingly complex environment that includes elements of addiction, mental health, housing and more," Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said.."At the end of 2021, we knew we’d be heading into a challenging year as crime rates began trending back to pre-pandemic levels. Unfortunately, violent crime trended up across the city in 2022, with our downtown core and surrounding communities disproportionately hard hit. It’s not news we like to share, but it’s the reality facing our city and police service.".As a complement to the year-end crime analysis — and in light of the call to action for changes to the bail system — the EPS also presented data on offenders’ post-release involvement with Edmonton police..The information quantifies individuals arrested for a violent offence and then subsequently released and all additional occurrences for which those individuals were responsible following their initial arrest and release..Additionally, it demonstrates where the EPS saw an increase in violent crime, the types of crimes committed, and the number of preventable incidents that have harmed citizens and officers as a result of violent offenders being arrested and quickly released..Edmonton’s total crime rate increased by 11.3% (+928 incidents) in 2022..The city’s crime severity has risen by 9%. This increase can be attributed to the increased number of break and enters, robberies and thefts under $5,000 from motor vehicles..The total number of citywide criminal incidents increased by 11.3% (+9819 incidents)..Of those incidents, those involving a knife increased by 9.8% (+83 incidents) and those involving the use of caustic spray increased by 11.5% (+89 incidents)..Incidents involving the use or presence of a firearm also increased by 25% (+82 incidents) in 2022. The city’s violent crime rate increased by 16.5% (+201 incidents)..Edmonton’s violent crime severity increased by 5.4%. This rise can be attributed to an increased number of robberies, assaults and assaults with a weapon causing bodily harm..The total number of violent crime incidents in Edmonton increased by 16.5% (+2131 incidents)..The total number of violent criminal incidents with the largest increase citywide include:.Assault: up 32% (+1,141 incidents)Assault bodily harm/weapon: up 14% (+413 incidents)Intimidation of a non-justice participant: up 1,469% (+235 incidents)Harassing communications: up 45% (+213 incidents)Robbery: up 22% (+214 incidents).The number of victims of violent crime also increased by 15.4% (+1759) in 2022 in Edmonton..Dispatched calls for service in downtown neighbourhoods (Downtown, Central McDougall, McCauley, Boyle Street, Oliver, and Queen Mary Park) increased by 2.6% (+830 events) in 2022 from 2021..The total number of criminal incidents within downtown increased by 7.7% (+1,153) in 2022. The total number of violent criminal incidents downtown increased by 8.4% (+247 incidents)..The total number of violent criminal incidents with the largest increases within downtown include:.Assault bodily harm/weapon: up 7% (+54 incidents)Assault: up 6% (+64 incidents)Harassing communications: up 114% (+49 incidents)Assault peace officer: up 81.48% (+44 incidents)Intimidation of non-justice participants: up 3000% (+30 incidents).Between 2017 and 2019, 1,784 individuals were involved in 12,743 police occurrences after being arrested and released for an initial violent offence. Between 2020 and 2023, 3,647 individuals were involved in 19,186 police occurrences after being arrested and released for an initial violent offence..Between 2017 and 2019, the following involvements occurred where an individual who was arrested for a violent offence and then subsequently released was either a suspect, chargeable, or charged:.3 homicides1,341 assaults84 obstruct officers or obstruct justice incidents.Between 2020 and 2023, the following involvements occurred where an individual who was arrested for a violent offence and then subsequently released was either a suspect, chargeable, or charged:.26 homicides2,183 assaults95 obstruct officers or obstruct justice incidents."It’s our job as police to have a plan that sends a clear message to those perpetrating serious crimes and victimizing some of our city’s most vulnerable this behaviour won’t be tolerated," McFee said.."This plan is well underway, as we work tirelessly to formalize many new initiatives, reallocate resources to where they are most needed and develop new inter-agency partnerships to address crime, disorder and social issues with the most suitable resources."
