Newmarket had the highest crime rate in York Region for 2022, according to the annual statistics report from York Regional Police.
The town saw 6,491.53 incidents per 100,000 people during that year, the York Region Police Services Board heard today.
The type of incident with the highest rate was theft under $5,000, followed by assault, and robbery and other violent violations.
Fail to appear violations are observed mainly in Newmarket due to the location of the court house accounting for a higher rate, however, Newmarket's crime rate per 100,000 people is still highest when looking just at crimes against persons and crimes against property.
Crime rate, according to the report, is the "sum of all Criminal Code incidents reported to police divided by the population. The rate excludes traffic violations. It is expressed as a rate per 100,000 population using year end population estimates supplied by the York Region planning department."
Georgina had the second highest crime rate, followed by Vaughan, King, Richmond Hill, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Markham, and finally Whitchurch-Stouffville, according to the report.
"York Region is one of the most diverse geographical areas in Ontario and Canada in terms of its population demographics and rural-urban mix. Crime rates presented in this report can vary widely in the nine municipalities of the region as employment opportunities, cultural practices and behaviours of residents varies," Chief Jim MacSween said.
The total crime rate for all of York Region increased 15.8 per cent in 2022 compared with the previous year. The rate of crimes against persons incidents increased by 21 per cent, the crimes against property rate increased 16.3 per cent and the rate of other criminal code violations increased 20.7 per cent.
However, YRP said there was a slowdown in rates in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and because of that decrease, it said this rise is in line with the five-year trends.
However, the statistics raise red flags regarding certain incidents, the chief said.
"There are some concerning trends in weapons violations, theft of vehicle, hate crime and non-criminal death overdose. These patterns are on our radar and we are working with other policing partners and stakeholders to ensure safety and well-being for our communities," said MacSween.
Weapons violations increased 94.7 per cent from 2021, theft of vehicle was up 47.8 per cent, and the hate crime rate is up 42.1 per cent.
York Regional Police said it uses these statistics and tracks trends to understand the needs and respond to the community.
"In 2023 and beyond, we will continue to ensure our communities remain safe and secure through innovative and modern policing practices focused on the needs of the communities we serve," MacSween said.
