RCMP stats show a drop in rural Alberta murder rates
Posted Jan 7, 2010 10:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The RCMP released a report Thursday showing that murder rates are down by 26 per cent in rural Alberta.
The numbers exclude large centres where cities have their own police force, like Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge.
RCMP say there were 39 homicides investigated last year, compared to 53 in 2008.
Cpl. Wayne Oakes tells 660News they have solved 32 of those homicides, giving them a clearance rate of 82 per cent, which he says brings about a degree of closure for the families of those who have been murdered.
Domestic violence was responsible for close to half of the deaths, but not all between spouses.
Ten of the 16 domestic homicides involved relationships other than that of an intimate nature and firearms continue to be the most common weapon used in these cases.
Drugs or gangs were said to be contributing factors in only three of the 39 files investigated by Alberta RCMP.
