Newfoundland and Labrador saw an increase in crime from 2020 to 2021, including a sharp increase in violent crime, according to Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index, released this week. For 2021, the index value for violent crime increased by a staggering 19%, while non-violent crime rates also increased by just 4%. In a bit of positive news, crime rates among youths have declined across the board. The Youth Crime Severity Index decreased by nearly 14 percent from 2020 to 2021. Breaking down further, violent youth crime decreased by over 19 percent and non-violent crime decreased by over 7 percent. The province as a whole saw an increase of more than 9 per cent in its index, the largest increase of any jurisdiction in Canada. That said, while the province’s index value is higher than the national average, it is lower than the values seen in the western part of the country.
