Police respond as Lethbridge posts third largest increase on CSI
LETHBRIDGE – A new crime-ranking methodology by a national publication places Lethbridge in a dubious position.
The Maclean’s Most Dangerous Places ranking for 2019 placed Lethbridge third in all of Canada, behind only Wetaskiwin and Red Deer. Rather than base the ranking on the annual Crime Severity Index (CSI), on which Lethbridge was 19th overall and 39th in violent crime, the magazine ranked the cities based on the difference between 2012 and 2017 to determine if crime was getting better or worse.
That calculation produced a 52.8-point jump for Lethbridge, the third highest. Prince Albert, Sask. and Thompson, Man. were fourth and fifth. Seven of the top ten cities were in Alberta.
Lethbridge Police Sgt. Bruce Hagel said it’s an obvious concern but pointed out how much the numbers can swing in a smaller community, citing as an example a triple-homicide in 2015. He also pointed to a big increase in trafficking of drugs other than cocaine and marijuana.