SASKATCHEWAN – Police forces across the province have investigated 67 homicides so far this year.
The RCMP reported 39 homicides in their jurisdictions in 2022 compared to 34 in 2021.
“In 2022, we’ve continued to see an increase in the number of homicides,” said Supt. Josh Graham, Officer in Charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes.
“The 11 homicides, as the result of the September mass casualty, have certainly added to those increased numbers. With under a month remaining in 2022, we have already surpassed the number of homicide victims year-over-year in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.”
Saskatoon also saw an increase in homicides with 11 so far this year, compared to seven in 2021.
Prince Albert homicide rate has stayed the same as the previous two years, with nine in 2022 to date.
Regina Police reported seven homicides to date this year. This is down from 15 in 2021.
Moose Jaw Police investigated one murder this year.
In 2021, Saskatchewan had the highest homicide rate per capita [5.93], according to Statistics Canada. Of the 788 homicides in Canada, 70 were in Saskatchewan, which is an increase from 64 in 2020.
Increase in gang related homicides
Last year, Saskatchewan had the highest gang-related homicide rate among the provinces at 2.12 per 100,000 population, a nine per cent increase from the previous year.
That trend continues this year.
“We’ve seen an increase in gang-related or-involved homicides - homicides that are often complex in nature, have multiple suspects and are difficult to investigate,” said Supt. Graham. “Our Major Crimes investigators do an outstanding job in balancing our response to newly reported and continuing homicide investigations and preparing them for prosecution in court; however, the increasing number of homicides has not been met with an additional number of investigative resources. These past three years have been challenging for our Major Crimes teams, but it is due to their professionalism, dedication and extensive experience that they have continued to investigate.
Story corrected to say 67 homicides.
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