What does a change in the Crime Severity Index mean for my city?

July 29, 2026 - City of Prince George, British Columbia
From: Prince George RCMP

Content

Last week, the Crime Severity Index (CSI) was published by Statistics Canada and revealed an overall drop in the CSI rate for Prince George, which leaves some people wondering what this means for policing in our city. 

Let’s look at the numbers:

• We’ve seen a drop overall since 2023, going from a score of 232.70 to 193.75.
• Our violent crime on the CSI shows a drop of 7.1% from 2024 to 2025.
• Our non-violent crime on the CSI shows a drop of 1.6% from 2024 to 2025.

The CSI is only one part of a larger picture that helps us understand our city. To gain a more complete perspective, we need to examine multiple indicators rather than relying on any single measure.

“We continue to see the CSI drop along with the number of police calls for service. While crime trends have many factors that influence them, we know that our work with our community partners such as City Bylaws, B.C. Housing, and many others, continues to make a positive impact in our community,” states Superintendent Darin Rappel, Office in Charge of Prince George RCMP.

We have also shifted our compliment to include more public-facing enforcement units, such as the Downtown Safety Unit, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Downtown OT units. The objective of these additional units is to provide a consistent, enhanced and proactive police presence that helps to suppress and prevent crime in our city. Additionally, diversion away from the criminal justice system, greater cooperation with mental health providers and our work within the school district, provides new pathways and better outcomes for this community.

Related products

• Infosheet: Understanding and using the Crime Severity Index
• Crime Severity Index (CSI) Explained — How Canada Measures Crime | Crime Canada | Crime Canada
• Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas
• Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia

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