Photo: Plumzee · CC BY-SA 4.0Victoria County, Subdivision A sees more crime per resident than seven in ten Canadian towns
From 2023 to 2025, crime the police covering Victoria County, Subdivision A reported put it at C for safety: #65 of 88 in Nova Scotia. By contrast, in 2023 the index stood at 97.6; it fell to 83.7 in 2025. Out of every 1,000 residents, 20.6 violent incidents and 27.0 incidents of property crime are reported annually, against 12.9 and 31.2 in the typical town its size. Of the two halves, violence comes to 120.7 and other offences to 68.4, beside norms of 85.7 and 62.8.
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 Victoria County detachment area: crime severity, crime rate and incident counts.
What stands out about safety in Victoria County, Subdivision A
A busy place, counted per resident
Seasonal homes make up about 32% of Victoria County, Subdivision A’s housing, so summer crime is set against winter’s population and the rates read high. How to read it ↓
Mischief: high for a town its size
Victoria County, Subdivision A records 13.7 incidents of mischief per 1,000 residents a year, against 4.9 in the typical town among Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. By type ↓
Higher than many towns its size
Set among the 40 Canadian towns closest to it in population, Victoria County, Subdivision A comes 26th, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Near the Nova Scotia middle
The typical Nova Scotia town scores 71.4; Victoria County, Subdivision A, 82.8. 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 Victoria County, Subdivision A’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: #65 of 88 in Nova Scotia and #1,745 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 Victoria County, Subdivision A’s figures
Against the typical town its size, Victoria County, Subdivision A runs highest on mischief (13.7 per 1,000 against 4.9), assault (9.5 per 1,000 against 6.7) and break and enter (3.2 per 1,000 against 2.8). Fraud and theft under $5,000 sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0.3 | 0.04 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 2.7 | 0.3 | — |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 3.3 | 0.4 | — |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 2.3 | 0.3 | — |
| Robbery | 1 | 0.1 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 0 | 0 | — |
| Other violent violations | 2.7 | 0.3 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 25 | 3.2 | 17% |
| Possession of stolen property | 2.7 | 0.3 | — |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 10 | 1.3 | 17% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 1.7 | 0.2 | — |
| Theft under $5,000 | 30.7 | 4 | 4% |
| Mischief | 105.7 | 13.7 | 12% |
| Weapons violations | 4.7 | 0.6 | — |
| Administration of justice violations | 25 | 3.2 | 49% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 7.3 | 0.9 | 32% |
| Drug violations | 9.3 | 1.2 | 8% |
| Impaired driving | 51.7 | 6.7 | 32% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 0 | 0 | — |
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.
Victoria County, Subdivision A, year by year
Crime Severity Index
Its index has not been as high since 2023 (97.6); the low point came in 2024, at 67.1. Over 2023–2025, the typical Canadian town its size moved from 74.3 to 64.2.
Every year as a table
| Year | Victoria County, Subdivision A | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 83.7 | 64.2 |
| 2024 | 67.1 | 68.8 |
| 2023 | 97.6 | 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 Victoria County, Subdivision A, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
Victoria County, Subdivision A comes 26th of the 40 towns nearest in size
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rivière-Beaudette Quebec | 2,806 | 39.2 | 61.7 | A |
| … | |||||
| 23 | Gore Quebec | 2,756 | 76.4 | 122.2 | C+ |
| 24 | Electoral Area F, Sunshine Coast British Columbia | 2,691 | 76.6 | 94 | C+ |
| 25 | Little Current Ontario | 2,764 | 81.9 | 109 | C |
| 26 | Victoria County, Subdivision A Nova Scotia | 2,746 | 82.8 | 120.7 | C |
| 27 | Sussex New Brunswick | 2,742 | 86 | 92.8 | C |
| 28 | Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley British Columbia | 2,761 | 87 | 109.6 | C |
| 29 | Holyrood Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,749 | 90.3 | 68.4 | C |
| … | |||||
| 40 | Kuujjuaq Quebec | 2,766 | 805.8 | 2,056.5 | 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 Victoria County, Subdivision A in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
Around 160 violent incidents a year in the 7,740-resident police area around Victoria County, Subdivision A, 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 210 property crimes and 160 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 Victoria County, Subdivision A
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria County, Subdivision A | 2,746 | 82.8 | 120.7 | C |
| Inverness County, Subdivision A (54 km) | 5,389 | 68.4 | 80 | B− |
| Cape Breton (62 km) | 106,752 | 44 | 56.2 | A− |
| Victoria County, Subdivision B (70 km) | 4,258 | 82.8 | 120.7 | C |
Every neighbour with a figure of its own has a lower index than Victoria County, Subdivision A. Closest is Inverness County, Subdivision A, 53.7 km away, at 68.4 to 82.8 here. Where a neighbour shares its police, it shares the figure too, and isn’t counted above.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means. The nearest places to Victoria County, Subdivision A with figures are 54–70 km away.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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.
- Shared with the countryside. The detachment counts crime across its whole territory, of which Victoria County, Subdivision A is one part.
- The index’s scale. A reading of 100 is the whole country in 2006. Half of that, 50, means half the severity per resident.
Questions about safety in Victoria County, Subdivision A
Is Victoria County, Subdivision A safe?
With 20.6 violent incidents and 27 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, Victoria County, Subdivision A comes to 82.8 on the Crime Severity Index (2023–2025); Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people have a median of 68.5.
What is the most common crime in Victoria County, Subdivision A?
Most often it is mischief: 13.7 per 1,000 residents a year. Next come other Criminal Code offences at 11.2 and assault at 9.5.
Is crime going up in Victoria County, Subdivision A?
No: the index fell 14%, from 97.6 in 2023 to 83.7 in 2025.
How much of Victoria County, Subdivision A’s crime do police solve?
About 32% of crime is cleared, weighted by seriousness, with 48% of violent and 19% of other crime; the figure for the typical Canadian town its size is 34%.
Whose figures are these?
A shared service or detachment’s, reported as one for Victoria County, Subdivision A 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).