I'm interested to hear what others think about crime in Canada.

Since I have moved here , I must admit compared to where I used to live (Dorset, u.k) in Surrey, BC I hear so much more on the news/radio of crimes happening daily. Sexual Assault, Violence etc.

Canadians have also said to me the justice system here is very poor with few being locked up and just walking the streets.

When trying to compare the statistics , Dorset shows higher crime rates but some of the Surrey rates seem too low i.e 3 homicides last year.

I do feel uneasy going out to meet friends at night here but just put that down to being in a unfamiliar place. But perhaps it is just more in the media here, where as the news in the U.K revolved more around London than our local area.

Whats your views on the difference in Crime , Im just interested to see

More stabbings there. More shootings here. Most people see neither in either place. Statistics inconsistently collected and unhelpful for comparison.

There's a feral looking youth lingering across the road. Just one. I expect that's about the same as in Lyme Regis.

Well, obviously, crime is not as good in Canada as it was in the UK.

as you've said. It is all about perception.
I FEEL safer here than in the UK, despite shootings in the Eaton centre and pretty close to where I live.
Statistically whether I am or not , I dunno!

You are much less likely to be a victim of crime in Mexico or the US than in Canada.

well the latter is probably true seeing as I've never been to Mexico. I don't consider that there's much risk of me being a victim of crime there

Loads of it here in BC - shootings, murders, drugs most days. Join in and have fun they wont lock you up. Try hit and run with pedestrians its fantastic.

If we legalize everything, crime goes away.

Oh dear. Didn't you know that one of the senior drug lords in Surrey is called "chrissyb"? Apparently he or she is very nasty. Good luck.

Hi

We are in Windsor, Ontario, and like everywhere in the world, there is crime, but it is no where near as bad here as it is in Peterborough Uk, where we were living. I know that as I was a Police Officer in Peterborough UK and my husband a Police Officer in London UK.

Here, where we are is a lot safer, even being just across the border from the USA notorious crime spot of Detroit. The perception of crime here is different.

In the UK everything is splashed all across the tabloids and constantly in the news and this in itself, I believe makes people think about crime so much more, that there is a real fear of crime. police are much more reactive, waiting for it to happen, more often than not, and then dealing with the aftermath.

Here in Canada, there is not the same coverage of events, Police are much more proactive and try to prevent it happening by being much more visible and knowing their community better, therefore being able to nip things in the bud more effectively. The Police here are also routinely armed and it is hard to argue with the man with the gun and that in itself is a big factor, as a lot are aware that there is a possibility of being shot. Officer despatches in our local freebie paper makes interesting reading....nothing much happens, where we are.

I was amazed when we first started coming here in 2005, that during the summer people would drive to the parking lot and go shopping leaving their cars unlocked and the windows down, leave their front doors unlocked and let their children go outside to play. it made me realise that we had lived in fear of crime for so long that it had been instilled in us from an early age, and reinforced in the media, that it was a truly shocking idea...being able to trust people to leave things alone. There are loads of roadside fruit and vegetable stalls where we are and they just close up and leave everything out overnight, nothing gets lifted. It is a refreshing change for us.

Crime happens everywhere and is obviously worse in some places, than in others, but the overall feeling we have is of less crime in Canada by comparison. Less people here spread, over a greater land mass is also a factor. The Uk is very overcrowded now and people much more tense as a result.

These are my personal opinions and hopefully will reassure others who are worried about Crime in their new country of choice.
Have a great day.......Stef

Sooke Area, Vancouver Island, BC
Not exactly the crime capital of the world however, a report on crime stats was recently presented by the local RCMP staff Sargeant to the Mayor of Sooke.

It goes something like this....

In 2012

• Property crime down 15 per cent overall.
  (Residential B&Es down 38 per cent; business B&E down 44 per cent)
• Thefts of and from vehicles down 29 per cent.
• Noise and disturbance calls down 45 per cent
• Assaults down 13 per cent and offences by youth down 16 per cent.
• Alcohol related accidents were down by 19 per cent.

Sooke is a small place (population around 11,500) and one does get a feeling of it being a safe relatively crime free community. It's a small example of Crime in Canada.

That'll do me

Now for all you big city slickers out there... keep locking your cars and front doors!

In my opinion I feel a lot safer in Canada. It seems that a lot of the violent crimes and murders seem to usually be gang related or they are "known to police". So, having that said, if you are a gang member - I would watch your back, but for the average Joe minding his or hers own business - I wouldn't be quite so worried.

I agree with this.

The biggest crime issue we have in my town is growing pot, speeding, not wearing a seat belt and not stopping at a stop sign. Even in the summer when the town grows by over 600% most of the crime is drunkeness, DUI's and pot smoking.

The nearest thing to crime around here is getting pulled over for speeding. But then I do live in one of the safest cities in Canada.

Ditto here.

Crime waves in the last few years included theft of coins (yes, coins) from laundry machines in apartment buildings; driving away without paying for gas; a conman pretending to be a chimney sweep to gain access and then a quick theft of something; a guy taking money for snow clearing contract and not returning.

Vandalism of pay phones, bus shelter smashing non existent. Graffiti almost unseen - no shutters on shop fronts to spray or daub on.

People leave nice patio type furniture out overnight through the summer and it remains untouched. Same with their xmas gear - inflatables and other figures.