Calgary's crime severity index fell to 61.7 in 2025, marking a two-year downward trend. however, Statistics Canada data shows that non-violent crimes, such as fraud and shoplifting, have actually increased by 3%.
Calgary's 61.7 index score leads Alberta's major cities
Calgary currently holds the lowest crime severity rate among the four major Alberta cities tracked by Statistics Canada. With a score of 61.7, the city sits significantly below the provincial average of 90.6, which recently hit its lowest level in over a decade.
In a regional comparison, Edmonton recorded a score of 95.6, while Lethbridge and Red Deer reported higher indices of 107.7 and 114.4, respectively. this data suggests that, in terms of the weight of offenses, Calgary is experiencing a period of relative statistical safety compared to its neighbors in the province.
The 13% drop in violent crime vs. the 3% rise in theft
The divergence in Calgary's crime landscape is explained by the different ways offenses are weighted within the index. According to Statistics Canada, violent crimes—including robberies and homicides—decreased by 13% last year.
However, non-violent offenses rose by 3%, according to the report. Doug King, a professor of justice studies at Mount Royal University, explains that the Crime Severity Index (CSI) assigns higher weights to serious crimes based on actual sentences handed down by courts. Because the recent increases are concentrated in low-weight offenses like sholpifting and theft under $5,000, the overall index remains low even as the total number of incidents grows.
Calgary Police Service Deputy Chief Asif Rashid warned that the city should not become complacent despite these numbers. He noted that officers are seeing a higher volume of property crime and fraud, which , while less severe in a court setting, still impacts the community and requires active policing.
Why visibility on the Calgary LRT clashes with official data
There is a growing tension between mathematical safety and the daily experience of residents. Ravi Inder Kaur, a sociology professor at Bow Valley College, notes that crime is often highly visible in public spaces like buses and the LRT.
This visibility can create a sense of insecurity that contradicts the downward trend in the crime severity index.. When citizens witness frequent non-violent offenses in transit hubs, the statistical "safety" provided by a low CSI score feels disconnected from their personal reality. This gap highlights the difference between statistical safety and the perceived personal safety of commuters in urban centers.
How much crime is going unreported to Statistics Canada?
One critical question remains regarding the true scale of criminal activity in Calgary: how much crime is actually going unrecorded? Ravi Inder Kaur pointed out that the figures provided by Statistics Canada and the Calgary Police Service are strictly based on reported numbers.
It remains unverified whether the 3% rise in non-violent crime is a true reflection of societal behavior or if it simply represents a change in how often citizens choose to report minor thefts and fraud. Furthermore, it is unclear if the decline in violent crime is a permanent shift or a temporary fluctuation, as the data only captures what is officially logged by law enforcement agencies.
Comments 0