Photo: Kyle Wilson · CC BY-SA 4.0Sooke sees more crime per resident than two in three Canadian towns
Police cleared 25% of incidents, weighted by seriousness, against 33% for the typical Canadian town its size. A Safety Grade of C follows from crime the police covering Sooke reported over the years 2023 to 2025: #120 of 251 in British Columbia. Typical years here bring 18.9 violent incidents plus 31.2 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents, against 12.0 plus 30.5 in the typical town its size. All 4 towns next door with figures record less crime per resident.
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.
What stands out about safety in Sooke
Mischief: high for a town its size
Sooke records 15.2 incidents of mischief per 1,000 residents a year, against 3.7 in the typical town among Canadian towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. By type ↓
Higher than many towns its size
Set among the 40 Canadian towns closest to it in population, Sooke comes 30th, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Property and other crime weigh more
Violent crime scores 79.8 on Sooke’s index against 89.4 for the typical Canadian town its size; non-violent crime, 82.8 against 56. By type ↓
About the British Columbia norm
The typical British Columbia town scores 83.2; Sooke, 81.4. Towns its size ↓
Written from Statistics Canada’s police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025. Figures are what police recorded, not convictions.
Inside Sooke’s C for safety
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: #120 of 251 in British Columbia and #1,738 of 2,572 Canadian towns.
The Crime Severity Index and its two halves, beside the typical figure for Canadian towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
Which crimes make up Sooke’s figures
Against the typical town its size, Sooke runs highest on mischief (15.2 per 1,000 against 3.7), drug offences (2.3 per 1,000 against 0.8) and fraud (5.8 per 1,000 against 5.1). Theft under $5,000 and motor vehicle theft sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 7.7 | 0.4 | 39% |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 5.7 | 0.3 | 100% |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 0.3 | 0.02 | — |
| Robbery | 3.3 | 0.2 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 0 | 0 | — |
| Other violent violations | 4 | 0.2 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 29.3 | 1.7 | 14% |
| Possession of stolen property | 12 | 0.7 | 25% |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 13.3 | 0.8 | 15% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 9 | 0.5 | 11% |
| Theft under $5,000 | 106 | 6.2 | 19% |
| Mischief | 260 | 15.2 | 30% |
| Weapons violations | 13.7 | 0.8 | 42% |
| Administration of justice violations | 76.7 | 4.5 | 69% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 27.7 | 1.6 | 35% |
| Drug violations | 39.7 | 2.3 | 37% |
| Impaired driving | 104 | 6.1 | 48% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 1 | 0.06 | — |
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 10,000 to 50,000 people.
In Sooke, up 14% between 2023 and 2025
Crime Severity Index
It finished on its highest reading, 87.6 in 2025, having been lowest in 2023 at 76.9. In the same years the typical Canadian town its size read 69.5 (2023), then 60 (2025).
Every year as a table
| Year | Sooke | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 87.6 | 60 |
| 2024 | 79.8 | 67.9 |
| 2023 | 76.9 | 69.5 |
Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index by police service, each year as published. Typical: the median of Canadian towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
The Crime Severity Index of the police covering Sooke, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
Sooke is 30th of 40 towns its size, lowest index first
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oak Bay British Columbia | 18,626 | 26.7 | 23.4 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 7 | Central Saanich British Columbia | 18,184 | 34.7 | 33.1 | A |
| … | |||||
| 10 | Comox British Columbia | 15,884 | 40.6 | 39.2 | A− |
| … | |||||
| 26 | Lake Country British Columbia | 17,637 | 67.1 | 59.9 | B− |
| 27 | Saint-Charles-Borromée Quebec | 16,904 | 68.5 | 107.8 | B− |
| 28 | Cowansville Quebec | 17,269 | 72.8 | 96 | C+ |
| 29 | Greater Napanee Ontario | 18,016 | 73.9 | 103.7 | C+ |
| 30 | Sooke British Columbia | 17,248 | 81.4 | 79.8 | C |
| 31 | Sylvan Lake Alberta | 17,897 | 82.3 | 83.4 | C |
| 32 | Edmundston New Brunswick | 18,174 | 85 | 102.4 | C |
| 33 | Brooks Alberta | 17,537 | 91.9 | 120.8 | C |
| … | |||||
| 40 | Cold Lake Alberta | 17,798 | 204.1 | 204.7 | 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 Sooke in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
Around 320 violent incidents a year on Sooke’s police records (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 530 property crimes and 440 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 Sooke
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sooke | 17,248 | 81.4 | 79.8 | C |
| Juan de Fuca (Part 1) | 5,439 | 63.5 | 90.2 | B− |
| Metchosin | 5,207 | 40.7 | 41.3 | A− |
| Langford | 59,664 | 65.9 | 65.9 | B− |
| Colwood | 22,794 | 49.8 | 63.6 | B+ |
Every neighbour with a figure of its own has a lower index than Sooke. Closest is Juan de Fuca (Part 1), 4.3 km away, at 63.5 to 81.4 here.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- An index, not a verdict. Statistics Canada, which publishes the index, attaches a caution: “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.” The number weighs each reported crime by its seriousness before dividing by residents.
- The index’s scale. 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.
- What clearance means. 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.
Questions about safety in Sooke
Is Sooke safe?
Against a typical 66 for Canadian towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Sooke’s Crime Severity Index stands at 81.4 for 2023–2025. Its police record 18.9 violent incidents and 31.2 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
What is the most common crime in Sooke?
Police record other Criminal Code offences most, 16 per 1,000 residents a year, ahead of mischief (15.2) and assault (7.4).
Is crime going up in Sooke?
Over 2023–2025 the index climbed 14%, to 87.6 from 76.9.
How much of Sooke’s crime do police solve?
Counting serious crimes for more, 25% end in a charge or are otherwise solved (33% for the typical Canadian town its size); split up, that is 40% of violent and 20% of non-violent crime.
Whose figures are these?
They are Sooke’s own: its police cover the town and no other.
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).