Photo: Ross Dunn - Thanks for 13 million + views · CC BY-SA 2.0Victoria County, Subdivision B has more crime per resident than 69% of Canadian towns
The Safety Grade comes out at C, drawn from crime the police covering Victoria County, Subdivision B reported through 2023 to 2025: #65 of 88 in Nova Scotia. By contrast, the index fell from 97.6 in 2023 to 83.7 in 2025. Typical years here bring 20.6 violent incidents plus 27.0 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents, against 12.9 plus 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 B
A busy place, counted per resident
Seasonal homes make up about 32% of Victoria County, Subdivision B’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 B 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 B comes 27th, 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 B, 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 B’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.
Crime in Victoria County, Subdivision B, type by type
Against the typical town its size, Victoria County, Subdivision B runs highest on mischief (13.7 per 1,000 against 4.9), drug offences (1.2 per 1,000 against 0.7) and assault (9.5 per 1,000 against 6.7). Motor vehicle theft 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 B, year by year
Crime Severity Index
2023 opened the run as its heaviest year (97.6); 2024 was the lightest, at 67.1. 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 | Victoria County, Subdivision B | 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 B, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
Victoria County, Subdivision B is 27th of 40 towns its size, lowest index first
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beresford New Brunswick | 4,389 | 25 | 35.4 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 22 | Richmond County, Subdivision A Nova Scotia | 4,305 | 65.2 | 90.1 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 24 | Crabtree Quebec | 4,237 | 68.5 | 107.8 | B− |
| 25 | Invermere British Columbia | 4,305 | 71.6 | 60.2 | C+ |
| 26 | Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast British Columbia | 4,279 | 76.6 | 94 | C+ |
| 27 | Victoria County, Subdivision B Nova Scotia | 4,258 | 82.8 | 120.7 | C |
| 28 | Oka Quebec | 4,312 | 83 | 129.3 | C |
| 29 | Claresholm Alberta | 4,242 | 91.1 | 68.1 | C |
| 30 | Prescott Ontario | 4,342 | 111.5 | 167.1 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 32 | Stellarton Nova Scotia | 4,251 | 116.6 | 97.1 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 40 | High Level Alberta | 4,390 | 324 | 498.7 | 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 Victoria County, Subdivision B in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
About 160 violent incidents a year across the police area of 7,740 residents that includes Victoria County, Subdivision B, 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 B
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | 4,258 | 82.8 | 120.7 | C |
| Cape Breton (45 km) | 106,752 | 44 | 56.2 | A− |
| Inverness County, Subdivision A (51 km) | 5,389 | 68.4 | 80 | B− |
| Inverness (52 km) | 5,138 | 68.4 | 80 | B− |
| Richmond County, Subdivision B (52 km) | 1,853 | 65.2 | 90.1 | B− |
| Richmond County, Subdivision A (53 km) | 4,305 | 65.2 | 90.1 | B− |
Victoria County, Subdivision B has the highest index of the places around it. Just 45.5 km away, Cape Breton comes to 44, against 82.8.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means. Distances here run 45–53 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Victoria County, Subdivision B.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A wider policing area. The detachment counts crime across its whole territory, of which Victoria County, Subdivision B is one part.
- What 100 means. Statistics Canada set the national index at 100 for 2006; every figure here is read against that.
- The clearance rate. Cleared means solved by police, charged or not; it says nothing about what courts decide.
- Severity, weighed. Statistics Canada builds the index from every crime police record, weighted by how seriously the courts treat it, and divides by the population. It adds a warning of its own: “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
Questions about safety in Victoria County, Subdivision B
Is Victoria County, Subdivision B safe?
Against a typical 68.5 for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Victoria County, Subdivision B’s Crime Severity Index stands at 82.8 for 2023–2025. Its police record 20.6 violent incidents and 27 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
What is the most common crime in Victoria County, Subdivision B?
Mischief is the most common, at 13.7 per 1,000 residents a year, then other Criminal Code offences (11.2) and assault (9.5).
Is crime going up in Victoria County, Subdivision B?
It went down 14% between 2023 and 2025, from 97.6 to 83.7.
How much of Victoria County, Subdivision B’s crime do police solve?
The weighted clearance rate is 32%: 48% for violent crime and 19% for non-violent. For the typical Canadian town its size it is 34%.
Whose figures are these?
Those of the police serving Victoria County, Subdivision B 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).