B.C. CRIME RATE IN '06 STILL AMONG HIGHEST IN CANADA

VICTORIA - B.C. joined a national trend of falling crime rates in
2006 but remained among the leading Canadian provinces.

The latest figures from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics
show police continue to be busiest in the western provinces.
Saskatchewan leads the way for the ninth straight year at 13,711
reported crimes per 100,000 population. Manitoba was second with
11,678, and B.C. a close third with 11,365.

Alberta came fourth at 9,523, while Ontario and Quebec reported only
about half as many crimes as B.C.

Nationally, the crime rate reached its lowest point in 25 years in
2006, declining 3% from 2005. The largest drops were reported in
Prince Edward Island, Alberta, New Brunswick, B.C. and
Saskatchewan.

One of B.C.'s largest declines was in auto theft, which fell by 16%.
Provincial officials credit the "bait car" program, which was
expanded to Prince George last week. The program of planting vehicles
equipped with closed-circuit TV, global positioning units and
ignition cutoff has been expanded to include all-terrain vehicles,
motorcycles and personal watercraft.

B.C. Solicitor General John Les said Prince George had remained a
hotspot for auto theft, which declined 34% since the bait car program
began targeting urban areas in 2004.

"We are a province-wide unit, so when we see a spike in auto crime we
target the area," said Sgt. Gord Elias of the Integrated Municipal
Auto Crime Team (IMPACT). "Bait cars are planted in strategic
locations based on timely information supplied by crime analysts."

Greater Vancouver had Canada's second highest crime rate among
metropolitan areas greater than 500,000, with 10,609 offences per
100,000 people. Winnipeg was first, Edmonton third, and Montreal and
Calgary fourth and fifth.

In metropolitan areas under 500,000 people, Abbotsford was third
highest with 11,224 offences per 100,000 people. Victoria was fourth
in the country with 10,066. Perennial leaders Regina and Saskatchewan
were the only cities with more than 12,000 offences.

Charges against youths aged 12 to 17 continued to decline, as they
have since the Youth Criminal Justice Act came into force in 2003
with an emphasis on non-court sanctions and community programs for
non-violent crimes. About 74,000 youths were charged with a criminal
offence in 2006, and a further 104,000 were cleared without a charge
being laid.

Nationally, the youth crime rate increased 3% in 2006, the first
increase since 2003. Youth rates for homicide, assault and robbery
were up, with 84 accused of homicide being the highest since records
began in 1961. Youth rates for break-ins and motor vehicle theft as
well as sexual assault were down.

Total drug offences increased by 2% in 2006, with marijuana offences
down slightly and cocaine offences up 13%. Marijuana-related offences
continued to account for about 60% of all drug offences, with three
quarters of the charges for simple possession.