Langley City is the sixth worst community in Canada for crime, at least according to federal crime stats.
The list includes 229 Canadian communities, ranked based on their crime stats of the Crime Severity Index. It measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada.
The City’s sixth place ranking is based on all crime. (In comparison, Surrey is at 32 and Abbotsford is 61).
When just stats on breaking and entering is the category, the City is third worst in Canada.
The violent crime index puts the City 15th out of 229. The City comes in at number 144 for youth crime while the Township is 158th.
Langley Township comes in at number 46 in the Crime Severity Index but 117th in the violent crime severity index. For break and enters, the Township is in 17th place.
If the two municipalities are ranked based on homicide rates, the City is 27 and the Township is 59.
The rankings use Statistics Canada data up to 2016, the most current available. Police-reported crime in Canada, as measured by the Crime Severity Index, increased for the second year in a row in 2016.
Recently City council’s Crime Prevention Task Group was charged with implementing plans to combat crime in the community.
The City’s crime prevention campaign is calling on residents to share information and taking part in RCMP programs such as Block Watch, Business Link and Crime-Free Multi-Housing.
“Crime Prevention is everyone’s business. Together, we can protect ourselves, our neighbours, and our community,” said City Mayor Ted Schaffer.
The City is encouraging businesses to get a CPTED assessment. A free assessment is available through the Langley RCMP. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a set of guidelines to help businesses. Most people don’t notice the changes but they can reduce crime. For example, one way to deter crime is to have prickly bushes near windows. Lighting, landscaping, where to locate a cash register, window displays and graffiti removal are some of the areas covered.
According to the City, 7-Eleven saw a 50 per cent reduction in losses and a 65 per cent drop in robberies while US and Canadian retailers have reported a 24 per cent reduction in crime incidents.
Businesses can find out more by calling the City Community Policing Office at 604-514-2870.