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British Columbia - The Best Place on Earth -

Just ask our criminals…

By Gerry Wickstead

Investigating Crime and Issuing Criminal Charges in Canada

22 Crime Categories over seven years (1997-2003)

Solving COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY (1997-2003) British Columbia

Source: Statistics Canada – Catalogue no. 85-205

2003 8^thplace among 10 provinces

1.0% charge rate

16,403 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

BELOW Canadian average (1.1%)

2002 10^th place among 10 provinces

0.7% charge rate

8,937 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

BELOW Canadian average (1.9%)

2001 9^th place among 10 provinces

0.8% charge rate

7,576 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

BELOW Canadian average (2.2%)

2000 9^th place among 10 provinces

1.2% charge rate

9,850 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

BELOW Canadian average (2.3%)

1999 9^th place among 10 provinces

1.7% charge rate

7,229 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

BELOW Canadian average (3.0%)

1998 6^th place among 10 provinces

2.7% charge rate

5,104 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

ABOVE Canadian average (2.6%)

1997 6^th place among 10 provinces

3.6% charge rate

2,085 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges

Same as Canadian average (3.6%)

Solving Crime in Canada (2003) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

Police reported incidents – in order of Highest to Lowest Charge Rates

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Prince Edward Island 137,781	190	138	19	10%
2^nd	Nova Scotia 936,025	1,237	132	64	5.2%
3^rd	Newfoundland 519,570	250	48	11	4.4%
4^th	Manitoba 1,162,776	804	69	31	3.9%
5^th	Ontario 12,238,300	31,092	254	646	2.1%
6^th	New Brunswick 750,594	781	104	15	1.9%
7^th	Alberta 3,153,723	11,307	359	154	1.4%
	CANADA 31,629,677	138,430	438	1,465	Canadian average 1.1%
8^th	British Columbia 4,146,580	16,570	400	167	1.0% *
9^th	Saskatchewan 994,843	1,127	113	7	0.6%
10^th	Quebec 7,487,169	74,979	1,001	333	0.4%

*Note: The total number of Incidents Cleared by Charge in British Columbia is actually lower than indicated. Criminal Charges initiated by Police in BC may have been Stayed / dropped by Crown Counsel causing the actual number of incidents cleared by charges to be lower. New Brunswick and Quebec have a similar prosecutor-based system. However these two provinces alter their Charge clearance numbers when Crown prosecutors drop charges while British Columbia does not.

“In New Brunswick and Quebec (for the Surete du Quebec only), the initial clearance status recommended by the police (e.g., cleared by a specific charge) is subject to approval by the Crown. Should the Crown find insufficient evidence to proceed with the charge, the police revise their records to take into account the recommendation by the Crown. According to the data element definition, a charge is cleared only if there is sufficient evidence to proceed. However, other jurisdictions, including British Columbia which has a system similar to Quebec, do not revise their internal records when the Crown disagrees with the police assessment of the evidence. For this reason, caution should be taken in making comparisons between jurisdictions for this data element. “

Source: Statistics Canada – Crime Statistics 2003 Catalogue no 85-205 Page 79

In British Columbia there were 16,403 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (2002) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	New Brunswick 756,652	721	95	54	7.5%
2^nd	Newfoundland 531,595	84	16	5	6.0%
3^rd	Nova Scotia 944,765	712	95	54	7.5%
4^th	Prince Edward Island 139,913	216	154	10	4.6%
5^th	Manitoba 1,150,848	573	50	24	4.2%
6^th	Saskatchewan 1,011,808	902	89	36	4.0%
7^th	Alberta 3,113,586	4,989	160	150	3.0%
8^th	Ontario 12,068,301	15,725	130	344	2.2%
	CANADA 31,629,677	50,498	161	977	Canadian average 1.9%
9^th	Quebec 7,455,208	17,548	235	245	1.4%
10^th	British Columbia 4,141,272	8,997	217	60	* 0.7%

In British Columbia there were 8,937 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (2001) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Manitoba 1,150,034	212	18	33	15.6%
2^nd	Newfoundland 533,761	40	7	4	10.0%
3^rd	Saskatchewan 1,015,783	641	63	54	8.4%
4^th	New Brunswick 757,077	224	30	17	6.3%
5^th	Ontario 11,874,436	9,867	83	389	3.9%
6^TH	Alberta 3,064,249	3,561	116	122	3.4%
7^th	Nova Scotia 942,691	220	23	7	3.2%
	CANADA 31,081,887	37,771	122	834	Canadian average 2.2%
8^th	Quebec 7,410,504	15,337	207	146	1.0%
9^th	British Columbia 4,095,934	7,638	186	62	0.8% *
10^th	Prince Edward Island 138,514	11	8	0	0

In British Columbia there were 7,576 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (2000) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Prince Edward Island 138,928	70	50	17	24.3%
2^nd	Manitoba 1,147,880	261	23	34	13.0%
3^rd	Newfoundland 538,823	45	8	5	11.1%
4^th	Saskatchewan 1,023,636	434	42	28	6.5%
5^th	New Brunswick 756,598	361	48	23	6.4%
6^th	Nova Scotia 940,996	208	22	13	6.3%
7^th	Ontario 11,669,344	7,256	62	423	5.8%
	CANADA 30,750,087	38,562	125	903	Canadian average 2.3%
8^th	Alberta 2,997,236	4,849	162	101	2.0%
9^th	British Columbia 4,063,760	9,974	245	124	1.2% *
10^th	Quebec 7,372,448	15,081	205	134	0.8%

In British Columbia there were 9,850 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (1999) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Prince Edward Island 137,980	87	63	21	24.1%
^nd	Newfoundland 541,000	99	18	15	15.2%
3^rd	New Brunswick 754,969	488	65	52	10.7%
4^th	Nova Scotia 939,791	580	62	54	9.3%
5^th	Manitoba 1,143,509	290	25	26	9.0%
6^th	Saskatchewan 1,027,780	459	45	40	8.7%
7^th	Ontario 11,513,808	9,234	80	489	5.3%
	CANADA 30,491,294	36,168	119	1,097	Canadian average 3.0%
8^th	Alberta 2,964,689	4,258	144	127	3.0%
9^th	British Columbia 4,023,100	7,356	183	127	1.7% *
10^th	Quebec 7,345,390	13,294	181	146	1.0%

In British Columbia there were 7,229 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (1998) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Saskatchewan 1,024,387	168	16	27	16.1%
2^nd	New Brunswick 752,999	302	40	34	11.3%
3^rd	Manitoba 1,138,872	555	49	43	7.7%
4^th	Ontario 11,411,547	9,745	85	552	5.7%
5^th	Prince Edward Island 136,388	34	25	1	2.9%
6^th	British Columbia 4,009,922	5,244	131	140	2.7% *
	CANADA 30,300,422	39,787	131	1,022	Canadian average 2.6%
7^th	Alberta 2,914,918	1,482	51	33	2.2%
8^th	Nova Scotia 934,587	379	41	8	2.1%
9^th	Quebec 7,333,283	21,782	297	184	0.8%
10^th	Newfoundland 544,400	84	15	-	0

In British Columbia there were 5,104 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

Solving Crime in Canada (1997) COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY

PROVINCE

(population)

Incidents reported

CRIME

RATE

CLEARED

BY CHARGE

% of reported incidents

cleared by charge

1^st	Prince Edward Island 137,100	42	31	26	61.9%
2^nd	Manitoba 1,142,200	356	31	116	32.6%
3^rd	Saskatchewan 1,021,700	40	4	13	32.5%
4^th	Ontario 11,421,600	8,340	73	524	6.3%
5^th	Alberta 2,841,300	1,434	50	71	5.0%
	CANADA 30,285,800	31,572	104	1,136	Canadian average 3.6%
6^th	British Columbia 3,921,500	2,163	55	78	3.6% *
7^th	Newfoundland 562,000	85	15	2	2.4%
8^th	Nova Scotia 946,800	553	58	10	1.8%
9^th	New Brunswick 761,100	165	22	3	1.8%
10^th	Quebec 7,431,000	18,386	247	319	1.7%

In British Columbia there were 2,085 reported Counterfeit Currency incidents without criminal charges.

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