The Northwest Territories had the highest crime rate in the country last year, dwarfing the national average, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada.

The report, based on criminal incidents reported to or by police in 2017, also names the territory as having the highest crime severity index (CSI) SA国际影视传媒� a method of gauging the seriousness and volume of police-reported crime SA国际影视传媒� in Canada for that year.

The territorySA国际影视传媒檚 crime severity index was 303.8 in 2017, far greater than the 72.9 national average. The figure represents a two per cent jump from 2016, and places NWT in a club of eight other provinces and territories whose CSI rose in 2017.

NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 crime rate saw a spike, too. It swelled by one per cent from the year before. In 2017, the territory recorded a crime rate of 40,914 criminal incidents per a population of 100,000 SA国际影视传媒� in stark contrast of the national average, which sat at 5,334 per 100,000.

Complaints of mischief and motor vehicle theft were down in 2017 but sexual assaults, sexual violations against children and assaults increased, the report states.

Bree Denning, executive director of the Yellowknife Women's Society SA国际影视传媒� and a former statistician SA国际影视传媒� says it's important to consider the territory's small population when looking at the statistics.

SA国际影视传媒淚 know small (populations) do contribute to those high rates because having one serious crime like a murder really increases your rates based on the population size,SA国际影视传媒� said Denning.

Two homicides were recorded in the territory in 2017.

But she also pointed to embedded historical factors as drivers of the high crime rate.

SA国际影视传媒淲e do have a recent legacy of residential schools which contributes to multi-generational trauma and violence,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a lot of challenges in the North that likely contribute to the (statistics) as well.SA国际影视传媒�

While the spike in reported sexual assaults, on the surface, looks negative, Denning said there's more to the numbers than meets the eye.

SA国际影视传媒淚 hope what we're seeing is an increase in reporting and not an increase in sexual assaults. No way of knowing but I'm certain that increase still represents a very small minority of assaults that are actually occurring, unfortunately SA国际影视传媒� likely just the tip of the iceberg.

The documented disparity between sexual assaults and reports of sexual assaults is noted by the publishers of the report.

SA国际影视传媒淚t is important to note that the number of sexual assaults reported by police is likely an underestimation of the true extent of sexual assault in Canada, as these types of offences often go unreported to police,SA国际影视传媒� states the report.

It goes on to say that SA国际影视传媒渃onsiderable public discussion,SA国际影视传媒� about sexual violence in 2017 could have had an impact on more people coming forwards with reports of sexual assault.

Denning agreed.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have had a lot of education in the community and pretty much everywhere, on social media about what consent is and the importance of consent, as well as the whole Me Too movement, where women were coming forward with all the sexual assaults and harassment SA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think that likely contributes as well to some of the increased awareness and perhaps increased likelihood that those sexual assaults will get reported.SA国际影视传媒� added Denning.

The territory's lofty ranking in the StatsCan report is followed by Nunavut and the Yukon. Nunavut had the second highest crime rate and crime severity last year. Yukon, fueled by eight homicides, ranked third.

Nationally in 2017, the country's CSI rose one per cent from the year before SA国际影视传媒� buoyed by spikes in the national homicide rate and attempted murder rate, which jumped by seven and four per cent, respectively. The national crime rate also jumped but by one per cent.