In 2007 Manitoba reported more homicides than ever before, and the increase was mainly in rural areas.
According to new data from Statistics Canada, Manitoba reported 62 homicides in 2007, which is 23 more than in 2006. There were 34 in rural areas and 28 in Winnipeg.
Those numbers give the province the dubious distinction of having the highest homicide rate in the country. It also bucks the national trend, which saw violent crimes decreasing by seven percent.
Canada's most violent major city
Of all the major Canadian cities, Winnipeg has the highest violent crime rates in the country. The city has more than double the rates of any other city for car theft. It also has the highest rates of homicide and break-and-enter crimes. Edmonton and Vancouver come in second and third.
Even though those numbers are high, the overall number of criminal offences in Winnipeg were down 12.9 percent in 2007 from 2006.
Crime rates down nationally
Across the country police reported 594 homicides, down slightly from 606 in 2006, following a long-term downward trend that began in the mid-1970s.
Serious assaults, including those with a weapon, basically stayed unchanged in 2007 after rising in each of the previous seven years.
Crime rates were down in all provinces and territories, except Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon -- although the crime rates remained highest in the western provinces.
The overall crime rate among youth aged 12 to 17 tapered off slightly in 2007 after rising the year before as non-violent offences fell and violent crime remained stable.
With files from the Canadian Press
