Trends in drug offences and the role of alcohol and drugs in crime

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Résumé (français)

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Résumé (anglais)

Rates of drug offences have fluctuated considerably in the provinces between 1977 and 2002. For example, Alberta’s rate of drug offences was well above the national average until the 1990’s. Similarly, the provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia had higher than average rates of drug offences in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s but have generally shown lower rates than the Canadian average for the past decade. Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec are the only provinces that have consistently shown lower rates of drug offences than the Canadian average. Incident Based UCR2 Survey – In 1988, the UCR survey was redeveloped to expand the information collected. The new Incident Based (UCR2) survey, is a micro data survey that allows detailed examinations of accused and victim characteristics, as well as characteristics of the incident itself. Information in this Juristat on specific ages of accused persons is based on the results of this survey. In 2002, there were 123 police agencies in 9 provinces reporting to the UCR2. A subset of the UCR2 database, the UCR2 Research database, was used for the current Juristat. Data from this non-representative sample accounted for 56% of the national volume of crime. The UCR2 Research database includes 94 police agencies in 9 provinces. The incidents contained in the 2002 Research database were distributed as follows: 39% from Ontario, 30% from Quebec, 12% from Alberta, 5% from British Columbia, 5% from Manitoba, 5% from Saskatchewan, 2% from Nova Scotia, 1% from New Brunswick, and 1% from Newfoundland & Labrador.