New data from Statistics Canada shows a notable decline in crime severity in Estevan for 2024, even as neighbouring rural communities experienced increases.
Estevan’s Crime Severity Index (CSI), which reflects both the volume and seriousness of police-reported crime, fell to 94.23, down from 116.85 in 2023. The city also saw a sharp drop in its violent crime severity index, which decreased from 165.46 to 112.07. Meanwhile, the weighted clearance rate, which measures the proportion of crimes solved and adjusts for severity, rose to 56.11 per cent. This is the highest rate recorded in the past five years.
“We dropped in all three areas,” said Estevan Police Chief Jamie Blunden. “We went from 116 down to about 94. So we’re down about 19 per cent overall for the CSI numbers.”
Blunden credited the improvement to proactive policing strategies, including targeted traffic enforcement and close monitoring of individuals under court orders.
“We have a very strong traffic enforcement strategy,” he said. “That helps fight crime because not all drivers are criminals, but most criminals drive.”
In contrast, rural areas policed by the RCMP saw increases in crime severity. The rural Estevan area’s CSI rose from 63.63 to 86.41, and its violent crime index climbed from 47.59 to 70.94. The town of Carlyle experienced a 24 per cent increase in CSI, reaching 154.28, while Carnduff saw a 31 per cent rise to 62.77.
Blunden pointed to staffing shortages as a key challenge for rural policing.
“Vacancies are quite a bit all over the country for every police service, and the RCMP are no different,” he said. “Most of the time, they have more vacancies here in the south than in the north.”
He also noted that isolated incidents can significantly affect crime statistics in smaller communities. “We know we have already had a homicide this year, so our violent crime severity index for 2025 is going to increase because of that one homicide,” he said.
While Estevan’s overall crime severity has improved, Blunden urged residents to remain vigilant, especially regarding non-violent crimes.
“We are getting more thefts of bicycles, more thefts out of backyards, more thefts out of cars,” he said. “Make sure bikes are locked up, garages and sheds are locked, and anything of value in vehicles is out of sight.”
Provincewide, Saskatchewan’s CSI fell slightly to 153.85, with an average clearance rate just over 40 per cent. Estevan’s improvements outpaced both provincial and national averages. However, Saskatchewan continues to report some of the highest crime severity levels in Canada.