Homicide in Canada, 1998 - ARCHIVED

The most recent police-reported statistics indicate that the crime rate in Canada has decreased for the seventh consecutive year and is the lowest since 1979. Statistics from the United States and from many European countries show similar trends. However, data from studies such as the 1993 General Social Survey (GSS), the 1996 International Criminal Victimization Survey (ICVS), and national polls suggest that Canadians perceive crime as increasing and fear being a victim of crime in their neighbourhoods. The most feared crimes are those of a violent nature especially homicide – the killing of one human being by another - which tends to receive more media attention than any other criminal act. Despite this growing concern among Canadians about violence, the homicide rate has gradually been declining since the mid-1970s.