Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainFewer crimes per resident are recorded in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay than in 90% of Canadian towns
Of the two halves, violence comes to 46.9 and other offences to 33.1, beside norms of 85.7 and 62.8. Out of every 1,000 residents, 9.7 violent incidents and 13.1 incidents of property crime are reported annually, against 12.9 and 31.2 in the typical town its size. That puts it at A for safety, judged on crime the police covering Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay reported from 2023 to 2025: #9 of 251 in British Columbia.
Statistics Canada, police-reported crime, 2023–2025 means. The index weighs each crime by its seriousness; rates are incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Area-wide: crime severity, crime rate and incident counts, counted over the Creston detachment area.
What stands out about safety in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay
Lighter than British Columbia’s middle
The typical British Columbia town scores 83.2; Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay, 36.8. Towns its size ↓
A lower index than most towns its size
Set among the 40 Canadian towns closest to it in population, Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay comes 3rd, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Down since 2023
From 36.1 in 2023 to 29.1 in 2025: that is Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay’s index, against 74.3 and 64.2 for the typical Canadian town its size. Year by year ↓
A low clearance rate
Weighted by seriousness, 24% of crime in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay ends in a charge or is otherwise solved: 41% of violent crime and 14% of the rest. Across Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people the figure is 34%. Questions ↓
Written from Statistics Canada’s police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025. Figures are what police recorded, not convictions.
What’s behind Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay’s grade
How sure: Less sure than most: the grade leans on the closest detachment, 7 km from Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay, since none reports under the town’s name.
The grade weighs the Crime Severity Index and its violent half, averaged over 2023–2025, against every Canadian town and city neighbourhood of 1,000 people or more.
Its place: #9 of 251 in British Columbia and #213 of 2,572 Canadian towns.
The Crime Severity Index and its two halves, beside the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Which crimes make up Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay’s figures
Break and enter and theft under $5,000 sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 3.7 | 0.4 | — |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 0 | 0 | — |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 0.3 | 0.04 | — |
| Robbery | 0 | 0 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 0.7 | 0.07 | — |
| Other violent violations | 1.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 9.3 | 1 | 3% |
| Possession of stolen property | 1.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 8 | 0.8 | 9% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 2.7 | 0.3 | — |
| Theft under $5,000 | 28.7 | 3 | 14% |
| Mischief | 40.7 | 4.3 | 12% |
| Weapons violations | 1.3 | 0.1 | — |
| Administration of justice violations | 9.3 | 1 | 72% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 7.3 | 0.8 | 18% |
| Drug violations | 3.7 | 0.4 | — |
| Impaired driving | 10.7 | 1.1 | 56% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 1 | 0.1 | — |
Statistics Canada’s violation groups for the whole police service or detachment, incidents a year its own. Cleared: incidents solved by a charge or otherwise, as a share of those reported.
Incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 means, against the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
By its index, Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay stands 3rd of 40 towns its size
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwood Ontario | 5,308 | 25.2 | 31.4 | A+ |
| 2 | Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay British Columbia | 5,390 | 35.8 | 32 | A |
| 3 | Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay British Columbia | 5,243 | 36.8 | 46.9 | A |
| 4 | Metchosin British Columbia | 5,207 | 40.7 | 41.3 | A− |
| 5 | Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce Quebec | 5,339 | 44 | 75.8 | A− |
| 6 | Saint-Boniface Quebec | 5,405 | 44.3 | 60.8 | A− |
| … | |||||
| 10 | Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley British Columbia | 5,156 | 49.9 | 52.5 | B+ |
| 11 | Cobble Hill British Columbia | 5,074 | 49.9 | 52.5 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 26 | Gibsons British Columbia | 5,090 | 76.6 | 94 | C+ |
| … | |||||
| 35 | Electoral Area D, Peace River British Columbia | 5,100 | 107.6 | 157.4 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 40 | Big Lakes County Alberta | 5,106 | 167.3 | 179 | D |
The 40 Canadian towns of 2,500+ people closest in population; city neighbourhoods, city totals and reserves are left out. Towns on one police service or detachment share its index.
The Canadian towns closest to Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
In Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay, down 19% between 2023 and 2025
Crime Severity Index
It rose to 45.4 in 2024 before easing, with the low of 29.1 in 2025. Set beside it, the typical Canadian town its size went from 74.3 in 2023 to 64.2 in 2025.
Every year as a table
| Year | Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29.1 | 64.2 |
| 2024 | 45.4 | 68.8 |
| 2023 | 36.1 | 74.3 |
Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index by police service, each year as published. Typical: the median of Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
The Crime Severity Index of the police covering Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
The detachment nearest Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay, 9,690 residents: around 92 violent incidents a year, 2023–2025
Violent incidents per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Property crimes per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Statistics Canada counts actual incidents; those police record as unfounded are listed apart and kept out of its crime rates and severity index. Each incident is filed under its most serious violation, which the survey sets partly by the maximum penalty.
Add about 130 property crimes and 71 other violations a year (2023–2025 average). The grid is 1,000 residents, a coloured dot for each incident a year at these rates.
Crime in the places around Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay | 5,243 | 36.8 | 46.9 | A |
| Creston | 5,976 | 111.2 | 103.1 | C− |
| Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay | 1,672 | 36.8 | 46.9 | A |
Its police also cover one neighbouring place, which carries the same index and is left out above.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Solved cases. The clearance rate is the share of incidents police solve, by a charge or otherwise, weighted by seriousness like the index. It isn’t a conviction rate.
- How serious, not how safe. The index weighs crimes rather than counting them: a serious offence moves it far more than a minor one. Statistics Canada is plain about its limits: “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
- Reading the number. Canada’s own index has been below its 2006 base of 100 for years, so 100 marks a fixed reference, not today’s national average.
Questions about safety in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay
Is Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay safe?
The short answer is an index of 36.8 for Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay (2023–2025), built from 9.7 violent incidents and 13.1 property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents. For Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, the typical index is 68.5.
What is the most common crime in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay?
Police record mischief most, 4.3 per 1,000 residents a year, ahead of other Criminal Code offences (4.2) and fraud (3.5).
Is crime going up in Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay?
Down 19%: 36.1 in 2023, 29.1 in 2025.
How much of Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay’s crime do police solve?
Police cleared 24% of crime once each incident is weighted by seriousness: 41% of violent crime and 14% of the rest, against 34% for the typical Canadian town its size.
Whose figures are these?
Those of the police serving Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay together with its neighbours or the countryside around it.
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025 (Statistics Canada Open Licence); TownRatings calculation.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services (tables 35-10-0186 to 0190, 0061, 0063, 0064), 2023–2025 · Statistics Canada, Incident-based crime statistics by detailed violations, police services (35-10-0178 to 0185) · Safety Grade: TownRatings calculation. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).