Saskatoon police say violent crime is up 10 per cent since last year

Violent crime in Saskatoon was up by nearly 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, according to new data from the Saskatoon Police Service.

Violent crime in Saskatoon was up by nearly 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, according to new data from the Saskatoon Police Service.

In an update for the upcoming board of police commissioners meeting on Thursday, interim Chief Dave Haye reported a spike in homicides between Jan. 1 and March 31, with smaller but significant increases in other violent crimes like stalking and uttering threats compared to the first months of 2023.

Of the six homicides in Saskatoon’s first quarter, Haye writes that factors included illicit drugs, a home invasion, negligence, and an argument. A fatal shooting on Matheson Drive involving two boys, 12 and 13, is listed in his report as “not intentional.”

The two youths each face a manslaughter charge in the death of another 12-year-old boy, who suffered a gunshot wound in the early hours of Feb. 19.

Haye reports that property crime fell by just under 12 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024.

One notable exception is residential break-ins, which were up nearly 38 per cent — that translates to 168 break and enters reported across Saskatoon in that period.

The new crime data describes the city as a whole, but doesn’t address how the rates may differ depending on neighbourhood.