Crime severity hits decade low in Alberta: report

Alberta's Crime Severity Index fell 10.4 per cent in 2025, reaching its lowest level since 2014.

Source: X (Danielle Smith)

Author: Alex Dhaliwal

Police-reported crime severity in Alberta RCMP jurisdictions fell to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2025, according to a new Statistics Canada report.

The Crime Severity Index (CSI), which measures both the volume and seriousness of police-reported offences, dropped 10.4 per cent across 149 Alberta RCMP jurisdictions compared with 2024.

“We’re encouraged to see Crime Severity Index scores continuing to decline across Alberta,” said Supt. Mike McCauley, the Alberta RCMP officer responsible for crime reduction strategy.

“This progress is a testament to the collective efforts of Alberta RCMP officers, our policing partners, community organizations and the residents we serve.”

Break-and-enters remained the largest contributor to the RCMP’s provincial CSI, accounting for 15.4 per cent of the index, though the offence declined 19 per cent from the previous year. Assaults and uttering threats were also among the largest contributors but have remained relatively stable over the past five years.

The RCMP said the CSI is used to identify crime trends and shape long-term enforcement strategies rather than simply rank communities.

The force credited expanded use of remotely piloted aircraft, improvements to its real-time operations centre and specialized frontline teams with strengthening public safety. It also highlighted partnerships with community organizations focused on outreach and addressing the underlying causes of crime.

The decline comes as some northern Alberta communities continue to deal with major drug seizures, repeat property offences and organized criminal activity.

In May, the Alberta government announced an additional $2 million for the RCMP, part of which is being used to establish a rural organized crime team. The mobile unit targets gang activity and violence linked to drug and firearm offences by deploying officers to communities experiencing elevated crime levels.

Asked whether the government views the latest figures as evidence its public safety strategy is working, Alberta’s Ministry of Public Safety said the province welcomes the decline and credited the combined efforts of police, civilian staff, community partners and Albertans.

The ministry pointed to several provincial initiatives, including $9 million annually to fund 50 frontline officers patrolling downtown Edmonton, transit and other high-crime areas, along with more than $55 million each year for the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, gang violence and child exploitation.

While calling the lower CSI “encouraging,” the ministry cautioned that public safety challenges remain.

“Alberta continues to take action to ensure the province has a policing model that is responsive, sustainable and designed to meet Alberta’s long-term needs,” a spokesperson said.

The ministry also defended its plan to create an independent provincial police service, saying Alberta sheriffs already perform policing functions such as surveillance, fugitive apprehension, shutting down drug houses and removing impaired drivers from the roads.

According to the government, converting those responsibilities to sworn police officers under the Police Act would allow the new service to better support municipal police agencies, respond more quickly to local public safety concerns and strengthen Alberta’s overall law enforcement capacity.

“We are grateful for the strong support and collaboration we receive from communities across the province,” McCauley said.

“Public safety is a shared responsibility, and these results demonstrate what can be achieved when law enforcement, partner agencies and all levels of government work together toward a common goal.”

He added that while progress has been made, the Alberta RCMP remains committed to reducing crime and building safer communities across the province.