NCJ Number
158584
Journal
Juristat Volume: 15 Issue: 13 Dated: (September 1995) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1995
Length
20 pages
Annotation
In 1994, 387,877 incidents of breaking and entering (BE) were reported by police in Canada; the number of BE incidents exceeded the total number of violent crimes and accounted for 25 percent of all Criminal Code crimes (excluding traffic offenses) and 25 percent of all property crimes in 1994.
Abstract
The rate of police-reported BE in 1994, 1,326 per 100,000 population, was the lowest rate observed since 1989. Having dropped 6 percent below that of 1993, the decrease in the BE rate in 1994 marked the third consecutive annual decline. In 1994, BE's into residents accounted for 59 percent of all BE's; BE's into business premises accounted for 28 percent, and BE's into other premises comprised the remaining 13 percent. More than 8 in 10 BE incidents (81 percent) involved forced entry. Property was damaged in 71 percent of BE's and stolen in 81 percent of BE's during 1994. In about 33 percent of BE incidents, stolen property was valued at less than $1,000. Males represented 96 percent of those accused in incidents where BE was the most serious offense in 1994, while youth between 12 and 17 years of age comprised 32 percent of all accused persons. Urban households, multiunit dwellings, and rented homes had higher BE victimization rates than rural households, single detached households, and households owned by occupants. Adults and young people convicted of BE were likely to be incarcerated for their crimes. 11 footnotes, 4 tables, and 5 figures