MOOSE JAW — Moose Jaw’s overall crime severity declined by more than 12 per cent in 2025, driven by a significant reduction in non-violent crime, according to newly released Statistics Canada data.
The city’s overall Crime Severity Index fell from 105.17 in 2024 to 92.28 in 2025, a year-over-year decrease of 12.26 per cent. The index has now declined for four consecutive years after reaching 125.21 in 2021.
Unlike a basic crime rate, which counts the number of police-reported offences, the Crime Severity Index assigns greater weight to more serious crimes based on sentences imposed by Canadian courts.
Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) Chief Robert Davis said the decline in non-violent crime was particularly encouraging.
“When you look at the non-violent crime, there’s a pretty significant reduction, and so that’s good,” Davis said. “That’s in line with trends you’re seeing in different parts of Canada, so that’s good. It’s indicative of good police work being done by the members of the Moose Jaw Police Service, and it’s encouraging.”
Moose Jaw’s non-violent Crime Severity Index fell by 19.46 per cent, dropping from 107.17 in 2024 to 86.31 in 2025. The figure has declined each year since 2021, when it stood at 141.11.
Davis, who joined the MJPS during the final months of 2025, attributed the improvement to proactive policing and community involvement, including “some of the great work being done by the police officers, being out there, being visible,” along with residents “doing their part to step up and prevent crime.”
The city’s Violent Crime Severity Index moved in the opposite direction, increasing 6.6 per cent from 102.40 to 109.16.
Davis said the increase did not necessarily reflect a broader trend, but rather a small number of serious incidents that carried considerable weight in the calculation.
“Violent crimes are weighted in the Crime Severity Index. We had a murder, an attempt murder, and you throw in two significant robberies with multiple assailants. Those four events alone would drive our crime severity up to around that six per cent,” he said.
“It’s not a big trend. There are some events that happened, but we’re alive to it. We’re always doing what we can to try and drive that number down.”
Police also cleared a greater proportion of reported crime in 2025. Moose Jaw’s weighted clearance rate increased from 48.56 to 51.61, representing a 6.28-per-cent improvement.
A crime is considered cleared when police have identified an accused person and laid or recommended charges, or when the matter is otherwise cleared through another accepted process.
Davis credited officers, investigators, and members of the public for the improvement. He said information provided by residents continues to play an important role in solving crime, whether through Crime Stoppers, remaining at the scene as witnesses, or reporting suspicious activity.
“The public are a true partner in public safety, and that clearance rate shows that the citizens of Moose Jaw are doing their part to help all of us keep the city safe,” he said.
Davis said returning the service to its full authorized strength remains one of the MJPS’s priorities, saying additional staffing will allow police to expand proactive policing strategies and crime-reduction initiatives across the city.
The service’s authorized strength is 72 officers. Davis said the MJPS currently has 64 officers, along with four recruits attending police college. If all four graduate, the service would increase to 68 officers.
“We’re really only down four [officers], and we’re aggressively recruiting,” he said.
Davis also pointed to increased use of Saskatchewan’s Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act and the ViPER Safety Patrol as initiatives that could influence future crime trends.
The ViPER team is operating as a summer pilot program, providing an additional visible presence while helping officers identify wanted individuals and vehicles.
“They’re an extra set of eyes and ears,” Davis said. “There are numerous examples this summer where ViPER [members] have spotted people after the perpetrators left the scene.”
Statistics Canada’s figures are based on police-reported crime and do not include offences that were not detected or brought to police attention.
