Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainPer resident, Colchester County, Subdivision C records more crime than three in five Canadian towns
Its violent half comes to 100.8 and its non-violent half to 62.3, where the norm is 89.4 and 56. Measured on crime the police covering Colchester County, Subdivision C reported between 2023 and 2025, it earns a Safety Grade of C+: #57 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Add to that, recorded violent incidents ran at 14.5 per 1,000 residents a year and property crime at 29.4, against 12.0 and 30.5 in the typical town its size. By 2025 the index had dropped to 69.6, down from 77.5 in 2023.
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. Measured across the Colchester County detachment area: crime severity, crime rate and incident counts.
What stands out about safety in Colchester County, Subdivision C
Mischief: high for a town its size
Colchester County, Subdivision C records 10.9 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, Colchester County, Subdivision C comes 27th, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Close to Nova Scotia’s typical town
The typical Nova Scotia town scores 71.4; Colchester County, Subdivision C, 72.9. 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.
What’s behind Colchester County, Subdivision C’s grade
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: #57 of 88 in Nova Scotia and #1,539 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.
Colchester County, Subdivision C’s crime by kind
Against the typical town its size, Colchester County, Subdivision C runs highest on mischief (10.9 per 1,000 against 3.7). Drug offences and theft under $5,000 sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 1.7 | 0.04 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 16.3 | 0.4 | 69% |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 7.3 | 0.2 | 100% |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 8.3 | 0.2 | 72% |
| Robbery | 5.7 | 0.1 | 70% |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 3.3 | 0.08 | — |
| Other violent violations | 10.7 | 0.3 | 35% |
| Breaking and entering | 94.3 | 2.3 | 16% |
| Possession of stolen property | 17 | 0.4 | 34% |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 79.3 | 1.9 | 13% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 30.7 | 0.7 | 10% |
| Theft under $5,000 | 323.7 | 7.9 | 13% |
| Mischief | 446.7 | 10.9 | 7% |
| Weapons violations | 21.3 | 0.5 | 41% |
| Administration of justice violations | 150.7 | 3.7 | 55% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 53 | 1.3 | 32% |
| Drug violations | 25.3 | 0.6 | 32% |
| Impaired driving | 157 | 3.8 | 46% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 5.3 | 0.1 | 25% |
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.
Colchester County, Subdivision C, year by year
Crime Severity Index
Its index has not been as high since 2023 (77.5); the low point came in 2025, at 69.6. Over 2023–2025, the typical Canadian town its size moved from 69.5 to 60.
Every year as a table
| Year | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69.6 | 60 |
| 2024 | 71.5 | 67.9 |
| 2023 | 77.5 | 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 Colchester County, Subdivision C, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
By its index, Colchester County, Subdivision C stands 27th of 40 towns its size
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiny Ontario | 14,195 | 27.9 | 36.4 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 24 | Gravenhurst Ontario | 14,576 | 65.4 | 90.3 | B− |
| 25 | Sidney British Columbia | 13,445 | 68.4 | 72.4 | B− |
| 26 | Dolbeau-Mistassini Quebec | 13,581 | 68.9 | 107.3 | C+ |
| 27 | Colchester County, Subdivision C Nova Scotia | 14,211 | 72.9 | 100.8 | C+ |
| 28 | Mont-Laurier Quebec | 14,598 | 73.1 | 131 | C+ |
| 29 | Whistler British Columbia | 15,090 | 83.8 | 82.3 | C |
| 30 | Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland and Labrador | 14,510 | 92.1 | 84.1 | C |
| 31 | Truro Nova Scotia | 14,652 | 95 | 104.2 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 40 | North Battleford Saskatchewan | 14,882 | 528.4 | 591.9 | 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 Colchester County, Subdivision C in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
41,500 residents, about 590 violent incidents a year: the police area Colchester County, Subdivision C belongs to, 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.
Property crime adds about 1,210 a year and other violations 620 (2023–2025 average). Of 1,000 dots, one per resident, the coloured ones are a year’s incidents at these rates.
Crime in the places around Colchester County, Subdivision C
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester County, Subdivision C | 14,211 | 72.9 | 100.8 | C+ |
| Millbrook 27 | 1,122 | 72.9 | 100.8 | C+ |
| Truro | 14,652 | 95 | 104.2 | C− |
| Colchester County, Subdivision B | 21,578 | 72.9 | 100.8 | C+ |
2 places nearby are policed together with it and reported as one, so there is nothing to compare.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Shared with the countryside. An RCMP or OPP detachment reports one set of figures for everywhere it polices, so Colchester County, Subdivision C’s are shared with its surroundings.
- The index’s scale. The index is scaled so that Canada as a whole scored 100 in its base year, 2006: a town at 50 has half that severity per resident.
- What clearance means. A cleared case is one police consider solved. Whether anyone is convicted is a separate matter the rate doesn’t follow.
- An index, not a verdict. Each incident counts by its seriousness, judged from court sentences, and the total is set per resident. As Statistics Canada puts it, “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
Questions about safety in Colchester County, Subdivision C
Is Colchester County, Subdivision C safe?
Colchester County, Subdivision C measures 72.9 on the Crime Severity Index for 2023–2025, next to 66 for Canadian towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Per 1,000 residents a year, its police record 14.5 violent incidents and 29.4 property crimes.
What is the most common crime in Colchester County, Subdivision C?
Police record mischief most, 10.9 per 1,000 residents a year, ahead of other Criminal Code offences (8.5) and theft under $5,000 (7.9).
Is crime going up in Colchester County, Subdivision C?
Over 2023–2025 the index dropped 10%, to 69.6 from 77.5.
How much of Colchester County, Subdivision C’s crime do police solve?
The weighted clearance rate is 33%: 53% for violent crime and 19% for non-violent. For the typical Canadian town its size it is 33%.
Whose figures are these?
A shared service or detachment’s, reported as one for Colchester County, Subdivision C and everywhere else it polices.
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).