Contrary to what social media might have you believe, Barrie is a safe city.
You may be justifiably angry at having your bike stolen or you may feel uncomfortable when approached by a panhandler, but you are extremely unlikely to be assaulted or robbed at gunpoint.
That’s true just about everywhere in Canada, one of the great things about living in this country, but it is especially true in Barrie.
As Statistics Canada reported at the end of last month, the Barrie Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which also includes part of Innisfil and Springwater Township, had the lowest score in the country on the Crime Severity Index (CSI) for 2023.
The CSI measures changes in the level of crime severity in communities, with all Criminal Code violations assigned a weight based on their seriousness, determined by average sentences handed down for the crime by the courts. Someone caught shoplifting is going to receive a very light sentence while someone convicted of a serious assault or murder is going to face time in prison.
Those communities having more severe crime, such as assaults, are going to have a higher score and, as in golf, a higher score in this case is not good.
The Barrie CMA had the lowest score — 48.05 — of any larger community in Canada. Saguenay, Que., was next with 51.
By comparison, Toronto was 58.5 and Vancouver was 90.2. Thunder Bay had the worst score in Ontario, 97.8, while Kamloops, B.C., had the worst score in the country at 165.3.
The national average was 80.5.
Statistics Canada also produced figures on the crime rate per 100,000 people, using Criminal Code incidents, but excluding traffic offences. Barrie’s crime rate in 2023 was 3,907, not the best in Canada but the best, by far, in Ontario and well below the national average of 5,843.
That doesn’t mean there is no crime in Barrie – far from it. The 2023 Annual Report of the Barrie Police Service said there were 44,344 calls made using 911 over the year, more than 140 per day. There were no murders, but there were seven attempted homicides, up from five the previous year. There were 1,293 assaults, up from 1,181 the previous year, but sexual assaults decreased slightly, from 232 to 229.
Robberies jumped from 49 in 2022 to 75 last year, property crimes rose from 303 in 2022 to 345 last year and thefts under $5,000 hit 2,711 last year, 254 more than the previous year. (And, yes, I know many thefts from vehicles or yards probably go unreported, but that is the same in every community and in every year.)
So, there has been an uptick in crime in Barrie, but no more than other places. The Barrie’s CSI increased by two per cent from 2022 to 2023, the same rate at the Canadian average.
I think most Barrie residents know they are living in a safe city.
The Barrie Police Service does a “community safety survey” every year. While hardly scientific, it did show what was on the minds of those 2,806 people who responded last year. I assume those who take the time to fill out the survey are those most interested in the matter.
Asked to list their top concerns, substance abuse topped the list, followed by traffic safety and panhandling. Those are all issues which must be taken seriously and addressed, but they are hardly the concerns of people who are living in fear.
