Crime remains a frequent topic of discussion in Moose Jaw. Although public awareness of crime in our community has increased considerably, the numbers provided by the Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index and the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) show that the rate and severity of offences within the city is decreasing.  

 “They (Statistics Canada) put out a crime severity index and crime rate numbers each year for each community, and Moose Jaw over the last 20 years from the Crime Severity Index and crime rates have (both) gone down 22.9%”, says Jay-D Haughton, Public Information and Strategic Communication Manager with (MJPS). 

Statistics provided by the MJPS detail the rates of various offences in the city in 2023 compared to the year prior: 

Moose Jaw saw a slight increase in property damage or mischief under $5000 in 2023, for a total of 355 offences reported, a 6% increase over the 335 reported in 2022. 

Reports for theft under $5000 in 2023 were up 15.8% when compared to 2022, while breaking and entering showed a decrease of 12.6%.  

Regarding vehicle theft, Moose Jaw experienced a significant decrease of 19.4% compared to 2022 with 54 incidents being reported in 2023. 

There were 44 drug related offenses in 2023, which is a 15.8% increase from 2022 which had 38 drug related offences. For perspective, there were 72 drug related charges in the year 2021. 

Of the 44 offenses in 2023 nine were for cocaine, six for cannabis, 5 for methamphetamine and 24 for pills and other forms of narcotics. 

The most common drugs seized by officers in Moose Jaw are fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. 

MJPS undertook six major criminal investigations in 2023, all of which concluded successfully.  

These targeted criminal investigations in Moose Jaw resulted in the seizure of 1535 grams of fentanyl, enough for 15,000 doses, $13,000 of Canadian currency, and other narcotics such as cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis and various types of pills.   

The biggest narcotics seizure in 2023 was a result of these targeted investigations, netting 1 kilogram of fentanyl which has a street value of roughly $400,000. 

Aside from narcotics MJPS criminal investigations removed 110,000 illegal cigarettes and six firearms from the streets of Moose Jaw. 

While the overall crime rate within the city has fallen, Haughton offers some tips to reduce the risk of property crime including; locking both home and garage doors, keeping vehicle keys away from the front entrance of the home, and installing motion activated lights and cameras where possible. 

He adds that removing valuable objects from the line of sight can also aid in deterring potential thieves. 

“The Moose Jaw Police Service just wants to say thank you to the community of Moose Jaw for continuing to trust us to do our best to keep this city safe”, said Haughton. 

In the event you witness a crime or are in an emergency the MJPS urges the public to dial 9-1-1 and for any non-emergency needs to contact their non-emergency line at 306-694-7600.