Some Sask. youth crime rates 4 times the national average

By Syndicated Author Feb 18, 2016 | 10:34 AM

Saskatchewan is leading the country in some areas of youth crime.

The latest numbers released by Statistics Canada (Stats Can) show while teens aged 12 to 17 make up seven per cent of the Canadian population, they comprise 13 per cent of persons accused of a crime.

For the most part, police-reported youth crime involves relatively minor offences. The most-frequent criminal offences committed by youth in 2014 were theft of $5,000 and under (960 per 100,000 youth), mischief (574), and common assault (546).

The rate of cannabis possession was also high (531).

The police-reported youth crime rate has been falling steadily since 2006, continuing a longer term downward trend since peaking in 1991. Between 2000 and 2014, the youth crime rate declined 42 per cent, a notably larger decline than the drop in overall crime at 34 per cent.

Specific to Saskatchewan, youth car thefts (472 per 100,000 youth), break and enters (1,286) and mischief (2,292) were four times higher than other provinces.

Assaults by teens (1,697) was twice the national average (762).

The figures released by Stats Can are from 2014, the most recent data compiled.