Crime stats down, but challenges remain in Piikani, Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek
Communities across southwestern Alberta are seeing safer streets with the Crime Severity Index dropping notably in Pincher Creek, Piikani Nation and Crowsnest Pass.
The CSI is a numerical figure that represents both the amount and severity of crime being committed in an area. High amounts of crime can result in a high CSI, though an area with lower rates of crime reported can still be assigned a high score if those crimes are serious. The baseline CSI score is 100.
The latest police-reported crime data from Statistics Canada show a provincewide 6.9 per cent decrease in CSI in Alberta RCMP jurisdictions — now at its second-lowest level since 2015.
According to a July 31 press release, 95 out of 147 jurisdictions had a decrease in the CSI from 2023 to 2024.
This trend includes southwestern Alberta, where Pincher Creek, Piikani Nation and Crowsnest Pass recorded a double-digit decrease in CSI, pointing to the impact of proactive policing, community partnerships and a focus on repeat offenders.
Here’s a closer look at what the numbers show and the stories behind the stats.
Pincher Creek sees 34.8% drop, led by crackdown on break-ins
The Pincher Creek detachment recorded a significant improvement in public safety last year, with its CSI falling to 76.4 in 2024 — a 34.8 per cent decrease from the revised 2023 score of 117.2. This marks one of the most notable year-over-year improvements in the region.
The decline is largely attributed to a sharp drop in break-and-enter reports, with 22 fewer cases. These incidents accounted for 17.2 per cent in the weighting of the detachment’s overall CSI.
“The big thing that drove that drop was focusing on the most prolific offenders,” Sgt. Ryan Hodge told Shootin’ the Breeze.
“We were really successful in getting them held in jail, through jail sentences, or they’ve left our community.”
Other major contributors to Pincher Creek’s 2024 CSI included fraud (12.9 per cent, 42 offences), other Criminal Code offences (10.3 per cent, 84 offences), theft under $5,000 (7.4 per cent, 71 offences) and assault (6.6 per cent, 46 offences).
While break-and-enters led the drop, fraud remains a growing concern, particularly online scams.
“This is something that we still see a lot of reports on, and people just need to be more educated and more aware of how these crimes are working,” Hodge said.
“People still fall for them to this day. They still give money to these online criminals. Sometimes it’s very high dollar value. It could be anything from a few hundred dollars up to tens of thousands of dollars.”
While crime rates in town remain generally even across neighbourhoods, Hodge noted a “big decrease” in rural areas of the municipal district — a shift he considers “a real positive.”
Community reporting and vigilance continue to be key, with groups like Citizens on Patrol and Rural Crime Watch playing active roles, he said.
“When people share information, we’re able to act more effectively,” he said. “It’s that open communication that makes a difference.”
Piikani Nation: Drug trafficking, property crime drive high CSI
Despite a CSI decrease of 13.2 per cent — from 683.9 in 2023 to 593.4 in 2024 — Piikani Nation remains one of the highest-scoring jurisdictions in Alberta, driven by complex factors around drug activity, violent crime and property offences.
Drug trafficking was the leading contributor to local CSI, with 31 offences making up 19.6 per cent of the weighting. Mischief to property followed closely, accounting for 18.7 per cent of the index, with a staggering 371 incidents. Assault ranked third, representing 14.2 per cent of the CSI with 134 cases.
Other significant contributors included other Criminal Code offences (88 cases, 6.2 per cent of CSI) and break-and-enters (16 incidents, 6.1 per cent).
The most impactful reduction came in the rare but high-weighted category of “other offences related to death.” A decline of two incidents in this category led to a CSI drop of 43.9 points.
Sgt. Vince Bacon from Piikani RCMP said the improvement is the result of sustained community engagement, noting officers have been visible and active throughout the community.
“We believe we’re able to engage with the public and develop that trust. The community is more willing to reach out to us with identified criminal offences so we can deal with them,” he said. “It’s the same with the drug dealers — with the public engaging with us, we’re able to get critical information to get search warrants approved.”
Crowsnest Pass CSI falls 13.2%, driven by proactive policing
The Crowsnest Pass detachment also saw a 13.2 per cent CSI reduction, dropping from 83.0 in 2023 to 72.1 in 2024.
Like Pincher Creek, a decline in break-and-enters led the change, with 18 fewer incidents accounting for a nine-point CSI drop. The offence still remained the most reported with 23 cases (15.8 per cent of CSI weight).
Among the most common crimes were assault (12.8 per cent of CSI, 71 cases), mischief to property (10.8 per cent, 119 cases), fraud (9.2 per cent, 32 cases) and vehicle theft (seven per cent, 27 cases).
“We are heavily influenced by travelling criminals and criminal enterprises that operate in and through our areas,” said Sgt. Mark Amatto of Crowsnest Pass RCMP. “Sometimes they’ll stop in, break into a garage, steal a vehicle, cause other damage.”
To counter this, local officers have increased visibility and relationship-building, from foot patrols to stopping into local businesses, he said.
The detachment also uses the Integrated Offender Management program, which Amatto described as a pragmatic way to reduce repeat offences.
“It’s not so much a bleeding-heart program,” he said, “but a practical, community-specific method to break the cycle of recidivism.”
A key priority in the Pass is increasing domestic violence reporting — not as a signal of rising crime, but as progress toward breaking silence in traditionally under-reported areas.
“By getting an increase in domestic violence reporting,” Ammato explains, “we can break into those cycles of domestic violence, hold people accountable for their actions, and also, more importantly, get those victims of crime and members of their family into the referral programs to help them make improvements to their life too, because it does need a break.”
Aggressive driving remains an ongoing concern in the Pass. Amatto encourages residents to report unsafe drivers and reminds the public that detailed reports can result in mailed tickets or roadside enforcement.
Looking ahead
RCMP detachments across Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass and Piikani Nation are committed to sustaining the downward trend in crime through proactive strategies, community partnerships and targeted enforcement.
While challenges like property crime and drug trafficking remain, this year’s data suggests progress is being made and local efforts are starting to yield measurable results.
Strong local journalism matters to Canadian communities
This article was reported and written by Shootin’ the Breeze’s Local Journalism Initiative reporter.
The Local Journalism Initiative is a federally funded program that supports original public-interest journalism in smaller or underserved communities across Canada. Content produced through the initiative is editorially independent and may be shared by other Canadian media outlets.
Stories like this are created to keep readers informed and connected — and to reflect real Canadian life.
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