Lifestyle and Leisure
No crime please, we’re Canadian
Leaving the UK’s ‘yob culture’ behind and heading for a quieter life in Canada is a dream of many
Patricia Curmi discovers that in reality the land of the Maple Leaf really does deserve its reputation as a safe, clean and happy country.
Some things you just don't question. Like why Songs of Praise is still on the telly, or where that other sock went in the spin cycle. Their occurrence is so ingrained in our psyche that we never think twice about them. So it is with our perception of crime in Canada. Crime? In Canada! I hear you chortle. Surely not in the land that has the industrious beaver as its national emblem, not the country that gave us impeccably moral Mounties and has French, the original language of love, spoken so widely throughout its shores. Ice hockey's violent outbursts aside, there are few crimes you would ever associate with our friends across the Atlantic.
The fact that we in Britain see Canadians as clean living, fair playing and just plain nice has probably got a lot to do with the fact that not a day goes by without a report being published in British papers that puts Canada in the top ten of international living standards, or happiness ratings, or some other social statistic that inevitably leaves the UK in 35th place, trailing behind Burkina Faso and North Korea.
By contrast, the BBC recently released the grimly titled 'Places you're most likely to get burgled in the UK'. Serious violent crime rose here by 13 per cent in 2005, according to the Home Office. And it's not just how we see ourselves, other countries see the UK as a violent culture as well. Last month, in a poll as part of the run up to the World Cup, Britain is deemed by the rest of Europe to be the most 'loutish' country in the EU.
While Britain seems to be flying the imitation Burberry flag for 'yob culture' and the record for ASBO capital of the world now seems assured, newly arrived migrants to Canada will smile warmly as they tell you about Canadians who leave their cars open and never bother to lock the front door.
Crime by numbers
Whether emigrants tend to have a rosier perception of their adopted homeland, or us Brits are simply a tad pessimistic about Blighty, crime statistics from both countries makes for an interesting comparison.
Just under 60 million people live in the UK, a country that could fit quite easily into a small corner of Ontario, and last year alone there were around 680,000 reported burglaries.
In the same year Canada, with a population around half the size of the UK, recorded approximately 27,000 incidents of 'breaking and entering'. That means that property theft in the UK is around 100 per cent worse than in Canada. With more serious crimes, like homicide, assault and violent robberies, Canada also seems to fare better, according to national figures.
Across the whole of Canada 30,000 violent crimes were reported to the police in 2004, while Britain saw over one million cases of criminal activity that resulted in death or serious injury. 'White collar' crimes, such as forgery and fraud, have risen in both countries as technology offers more chances for techno-savvy criminals to get hold of your details online, over the phone or catch you out with spam scams. Canada does have a higher incidence of credit card and marketing scam victims, with 21,000 Canadians targeted and around 26,000 Brits stung by fraudsters each year.
Overall, the rate of crime in general has fallen in the UK since a peak in the mid 1990s, when prisons were desperately overpopulated and football hooligans seemed to be the country's main export. Over in Canada, since the year 2000 crime rates have gone up marginally, although remain around an average rate of 85 of any type of crime committed per 1,000 people.
Culture concern
As sobering as the statistics can be, crime directly impacts upon individuals and the communities they live in. Perceptions of safety and faith in the criminal justice system, therefore, are just as important as counting the number of crimes reported (and estimating the number that go unreported) each year.
In the UK, the Jill Dando Institute of Crime conducted a survey and found a staggering 95 per cent of British residents asked thought anti-social behaviour was a major source of problems, and alcohol-related incidents mean British men aged between 16 and 24 are especially prone to becoming victims of assault. The lack of a 'pub culture', the less frantic pace of life and the psychological impact of spacious, open surroundings as opposed to the overcrowding found in Britain may all contribute to the feeling of safety in Canada. Sue Gerryts, who migrated to Vancouver in 2003 with her family and set up a relocation company, believes this issue is a big concern with Brits looking to move to Canada, but shouldn't be. "Even now, people leave their cars or the door to their house unlocked! I have been shown houses where the realtor has told me I can get into the house as he has left the door unlocked for me! "At our local coffee shop, people get out of their cars and put their cell phone and keys on the tables outside to reserve a spot whilst they go in for their drinks! I was quite alarmed when I first saw this done and was convinced someone would come along and swipe them, but of course no one did."
Location location
However, as in the UK, where you live in Canada is one of the determining factors in how likely you are to be a victim of crime. Gerryts says, "I think that 'is this a safe area?' is one of the most frequently asked questions from Brits coming over on research trips. Since a lot of families are coming to Canada to avoid social problems in the UK, this is usually a primary concern. "Outside of the city centre, the safety of the neighbourhood is very variable. For example, Surrey is the car crime capital of not only British Columbia, but the whole of North America, according to statistics in the Vancouver Sun! "Indeed it seems there are a lot of car thefts occurring and popular opinion is that this is related to drugs. In downtown Vancouver, it is not safe to leave valuables visible in the car."
Of the Canadian provinces, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador enjoy the two lowest crime rates, lower than the national average, at 62 and 68 per 1,000 people respectively, according to Statistics Canada. At the other end of the scale, the Yukon Territory was the province with the highest number of recorded crime, at about 250 crimes committed for every 1,000 people.
Conservative future?
Newly elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper made it clear from early on in his campaign that his Conservative Party would take a hard-line stance on serious crime. He advocates two new bills that will introduce mandatory minimum sentences for some serious crimes and seek to eliminate conditional sentencing for serious and violent offences. Harper's promises to "completely overhaul" the criminal justice system by beefing up police forces across the country and by toughening up the sentences served by criminals. It's an approach that may find favour with the traditionally more conservative states like Alberta, but critics are claiming that it could potentially damage rehabilitation.
At the last count in 2003, Canada's prison population stood at over 36,000, while the UK has just over 88,000 men and women incarcerated. Whatever route the country takes under Harper's Conservatives, it is unlikely to change the fact that the stereotype of Canadians being happy people is very real. The country ranks 5th in a world survey recording 'happiness' based on quality of life. I won't tell you where the UK came, but it was hot on North Korea's heels.
Sue Gerryts is from Relocation2BC
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