City of Delta 2020 Crime Severity Index down 12% from 2019

On July 27, 2021, Statistics Canada released the Crime Severity Index (CSI) for all jurisdictions throughout Canada.  The CSI is calculated based on the amount and seriousness of the offences that are reported to police. A low CSI rate is indicative of a relatively safe community. Index scores are compared to a baseline of 100, which is calculated using historical data. CSI is a method to compare crime consistently across jurisdictions.

Delta’s 2020 CSI is 57.04, down by 12% in comparison to 2019. Overall, Delta ranked #3 for the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland area municipal police jurisdictions and #7 for B.C. municipal police jurisdictions for the lowest CSI score. Delta’s CSI of 57.04 is well below the provincial CSI average of 95.71 and the national CSI average of 73.44. 

Overall, Canada’s CSI average score decreased by 8% from 2019 to 2020 and while, the national decrease in CSI is in part attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders, this was not true across the board as some municipalities saw their CSI’s increase. Furthermore, nationally, certain crime types saw an increase, including the homicides, opioid-related offences, hate crimes, and child pornography. 

A  CSI lower than the previous year is one of the key performance indicators for the success of DPD’s Community Safety Plan.

Chief Constable Neil Dubord notes that “while the pandemic may have played a role in the crime rate nationally, he is certain that locally in Delta, it’s the hardwork of the men and women on the incredibly dedicated, committed and passionate team at the DPD who contributed to Delta’s CSI being nearly 40% less than the provincial average, in collaboration with our local community. Our members work 24/7 to ensure that Delta remains one of the safest cities to live, visit and work in BC; while our calls for service in 2019 and 2020 remained similar, the team’s ongoing efforts contributed to the CSI decrease in 2020.”