WEYBURN — With the release of the 2025 Police-Reported Crime Statistics from Statistics Canada last week, Saskatchewan once again finds itself with the highest Crime Severity Index (CSI) in the country.
The province’s CSI sits at 146.64, nearly double the national average of 75. However, local criminologist Dr. Krystal Glowatski is warning residents against using the data as the sole indicator of a community's well-being.
"The CSI tells us something about crime. It doesn't tell us everything about safety, because safety and crime are two very different things," Glowatski said.
While the provincial average is high, individual communities vary wildly. Weyburn is a notable outlier, boasting a much lower Crime Severity Index of 70.83 in 2025. This contrasts sharply with other Saskatchewan cities like North Battleford, which recorded a CSI of 477.10, and Prince Albert at 285.01.
Glowatski noted that the index is a descriptive statistic, meaning it accounts for the volume and severity of reported crimes but fails to explain why they occur. Relying solely on the numbers without examining contextual factors, such as access to addiction support, housing, and education, can lead to a misunderstanding of community safety.
The 'dark figure of crime'
A critical limitation of the CSI is that it only measures police-reported incidents. Glowatski pointed out that many crimes go unreported due to a lack of public awareness, varying policing practices, or the relationship between residents and police.
To illustrate this, she shared a personal example involving a "goose garden" she set up in front of her studio. Despite several instances of theft and vandalism, she chose not to report the incidents to the police.
"I don't want to see somebody's life get ruined over the theft of a goose or the destruction of a ceramic piece that I made," she explained. Instead, Glowatski said she would rather have a conversation with the perpetrators to understand what drove their actions, whether it was boredom, isolation, or a troubled home life.
Because incidents like these are handled outside the justice system, they become part of what criminologists call the "dark figure of crime," acts that never make it into the official statistics.
Looking beyond root causes
When discussing the factors driving crime, Glowatski cautioned against oversimplifying complex issues or pointing to a single "root cause" like poverty or mental illness.
"Poverty doesn't make somebody a criminal, and most people experiencing poverty don't commit serious crime," she said. "What research does show us is that crime and victimization are patterned. They're associated with social and economic conditions. When disadvantages accumulate, communities can become more vulnerable to harm."
Glowatski, whose expertise lies in restorative justice, stressed the importance of proactive, community-based solutions over reactive punishments.
"When we are addressing crimes that have already been committed, we are already past the point of being able to do anything besides address that harm and put a Band-Aid on that situation," she said.
She pointed to the role social media plays in disconnecting people and fueling unaccountability, adding that rebuilding face-to-face relationships is key to reducing harm.
"How do we create spaces where teenagers have somewhere to go, where elderly people aren't feeling isolated in care homes?" Glowatski asked. "How do we create a sense of belonging in communities where people feel that they have a stake in the overall well-being of the community?"
By focusing on connection and providing safe spaces for vulnerable groups, Glowatski believes communities can foster the ontological security needed to bring crime rates down naturally.
"You can't hate up close," she added. "If we have stronger relationships in our communities that connect us to one another, that's where we will start to see a reduction in harm."
