The City of Duncan has issued a response following the release of Statistics Canada data that ranked the community as having the highest Crime Severity Index in B.C.
The city said it recognizes that crime and public safety are concerns for residents but added the Crime Severity Index should not be viewed as a direct measure of how safe Duncan is.
It said quarterly crime reports presented to city council by the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP provide a clearer picture of reported crime in the community.
The city said the index does not reflect Duncan’s role as the service hub for the Cowichan Valley, where a population of just over 5,000 is used to calculate crime involving tens of thousands of daily visitors.
Mayor Michelle Staples said the city will not ignore crime issues but will not allow what it calls a skewed statistic to define the community.
Staples pointed to the community’s recent response to support residents displaced by structure fires as a better representation of Duncan.
“Last week we were a community that came together to support people displaced from their homes, we were volunteer firefighters from the city and neighboring communities, working together to save lives and put out fires,” said Staples.
She added that the statistics are skewed and do not define the community.
“For every negative headline or FB post shared, there are a thousand of beautiful moments not making the headlines – these are ones that truly make up the heart of our City and who we are,” said Staples.
The city said it will continue working with Statistics Canada and the RCMP to better understand the data.
Click here to view Statistics Canada’s report on Duncan’s Crime Severity Index rating.
– Article includes link from Statistics Canada
