Canada's national crime rate dropped five per cent last year, but serious crimes such as homicide, attempted murder, assaults and robbery are on the rise, according to a Statistics Canada report released Thursday.

The report, titled Juristat: Crime Statistics in Canada, 2005, examined police-reported data and found the crime rate fell in every province and territory thanks to a decline in non-violent offences such as counterfeiting and break-ins.

In 2005, police reported 7,761 Criminal Code offences for every 100,000 people, down from 8,166 the previous year.

While crime rates were down across the country, Canada's western cities — including Saskatoon, Regina, Abbotsford, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Victoria — reported the highest crime rates. Crime rates were lowest in Ontario and Quebec.

While non-violent crime rates have improved, the report found that Canada's homicide rate continues to climb. In 2005, the murder rate was the highest since 1996, with 658 homicides, 34 more than in 2004. Provincially, the highest homicide rates were reported in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while P.E.I., New Brunswick and Quebec had the lowest rates.

The number of young people accused of homicide jumped from 44 in 2004 to 65 in 2005. The youth-accused homicide rate has climbed to its highest point in more than a decade.

The study also found that attempted murders were on the rise, with 772 case reported in 2005, up 14 per cent from the previous year. In addition, police responded to 3,000 aggravated assaults, up 10 per cent, and almost 50,000 assaults with a weapon, up five per cent.

Property crime at lowest level in three decades

Across the board, police reported a significant decline in non-violent crime for 2005. Property crime, including thefts and break-ins, dropped sharply last year, bringing it to its lowest level in more than 30 years.

The rate of auto theft, which has been decreasing since 1996, fell seven per cent last year. The report suggests that the decline can be attributed to better anti-theft devices in new cars and improved police programs.

In 2005, police reported the first decline in counterfeiting in five years, thanks in part to the introduction of security-enhanced features on the $10 and $20 bills rolled out in 2004 and 2005.

Drug offences also dropped for the second time in three years, with cannabis offences accounting for the majority of charges. But police reported a spike in charges related to cocaine, crystal meth and ecstasy.

Crime committed by youth aged 12 to 17 fell six per cent last year. Since the introduction of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2003, the proportion of young people who are formally charged has dropped significantly from 56 per cent in 2002 to 43 per cent in 2005. Police issued young people more warnings and referrals to community programs instead of laying formal charges. 

In 2005, police responded to approximately 2.7 million Criminal Code incidents. Twelve per cent of them were deemed violent crimes and 48 per cent were reported as property crimes.

Criminal Code offences such as mischief, counterfeiting and disturbing the peace accounted for the remaining 40 per cent.