Study: Neighbourhood characteristics and the distribution of crime in Regina

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This study, the third of its kind by Statistics Canada, investigated neighbourhood-level crime patterns in Regina by examining how police-reported crimes are distributed across city neighbourhoods, and whether the crime rate in a given neighbourhood is associated with factors specific to that neighbourhood, such as the incidence of low income, the education level of residents, the housing conditions and land-use characteristics.

The study, funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre at Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, used demographic and socio-economic information from the census, zoning data from the city of Regina and police-reported crime data for 2001.

In Regina's case, findings indicate that crime tended to be concentrated in neighbourhoods with a particular population, and specific housing and land-use characteristics.

Violent crime in Regina was concentrated around the city's core, in neighbourhoods known as Downtown and North Central. Overall, 5 out of 95 neighbourhoods in Regina, or about 5%, accounted for 30% of all violent incidents.

Property crime in Regina showed a similar pattern of concentration around the city's core, but there were also a number of smaller hotspots throughout the city.

These property crime hotspots were generally located near the city's shopping centres. Because of this slightly greater dispersion throughout the city, 12% of neighbourhoods accounted for 30% of the city's property crime incidents.

Issues related to housing had an impact on levels of neighbourhood crime. More precisely, neighbourhoods with higher proportions of renters, as opposed to homeowners, tended to have higher rates of violent crime.

There was also a connection between housing conditions and property crime rates in a neighbourhood. Property crime rates tended to be higher in neighbourhoods with greater proportions of houses built prior to 1960 than in those with a higher concentration of newer homes.

An exploratory analysis of change over time indicated that the distributions of both violent crime and property crime in Regina's neighourhoods were similar in 1999 and 2003. Analysis also supported previous research indicating that neighbourhoods with high violent crime rates tended to experience a decline in population.

The study further showed that high-income neighbourhoods had significantly lower property crime rates in both years and significantly lower violent crime rates in 2003. This confirmed earlier results that income levels in a neighbourhood are associated with levels of crime.

The first study, "Neighbourhood characteristics and the distribution of crime in Winnipeg," was released in The Daily on September 16, 2004. Results from the second study, "Neighbourhood characteristics and the distribution of crime on the Island of Montréal," were released in The Daily on June 8, 2006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 3302 and 3901.

The report "Neighbourhood characteristics and the distribution of crime in Regina" (85-561-MIE2006008, free) is now available as part of the Crime and Justice Research Paper Series. From the Publications module, under Free internet publications, choose Justice.

For more information, or to enquire about concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Information and Client Services (toll-free 1-800-387-2231; 613-951-9023), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.