Memorial University’s Leslie Harris Centre released its annual Vital Signs Report yesterday. A section of which focused on crime in our province. It’s official: we have higher rates of crime in general compared to the Canadian average (5,924 versus 5,224 per 100,000 population).
This includes, specifically, more impaired driving, more property crime, and notably more violent crime. We’re even on par with the average rate of homicide in a Canadian province. The Canadian average for homicide is 1.68 per population of 100,000; our number is 1.32.
Interestingly, despite these numbers, 77% of people in our province ” feel very safe or reasonably safe.” Perception is everything … until you lose an eye, purse, or car.
Part of that feeling of safety is explained by the fact that much of our crime is “hidden,” and doesn’t make the news or our personal radars, as it’s being kept quiet. But it’s happening for sure.
As Nicole Kieley, Executive Director of NL Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre says, “Sexual violence continues to be prevalent in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our centre has experienced a 300% increase in individuals utilizing our crisis line over the past three years.”
There is good news on the crime front though, especially in the wake of the nationwide opioid crisis. A graph on page 5 of the report that clearly states, “drug crime in NL peaked in 2011, when the rate was almost the same as the Canadian average, but since then has been declining.”
That said, while “declining” is good, the numbers still aren’t great.
OK – so is the term “skeet” better or worse than “criminal”?
As commonly used, “skeet” implies an inherent, pre-determined tendency of a certain subculture in this town to be criminals. It’s classist, I would even say quasi-racist. Unquestionably worse.
I have no idea where you came up with this definition. i assume it’s an attempt to appear academic. Pre-determined? So there are baby skeets? Quasi rascist? Not sure what you mean…
It’s an attempt to answer the question.
Just wondering what you mean by rascist..
I’d like to know where racism comes into it too, since this province is mostly white, and the small percentage that aren’t, aren’t the ones who I’d call skeets. It’s classist, bigoted, but racist? Nah. Stop throwing around racist if you don’t know what it means man.
Ugh, can we not? (Say skeets. They’ve not a “people,” they’re a circumstance of our provincial troubles.)
I friggen knew it! Skeets got us ruined, stabbing Hollywood stars on George and everything!