Less crime could hurt 'law-and-order' Tories at the polls, experts say
OTTAWA — Canada's national crime rate fell in 2007 for the third straight year, with declines in everything from homicides and gun crimes to minor property offences, says a new report.
And some say numbers released Thursday by Statistics Canada could strip some political ammunition away from the Conservative government, which has styled itself as the party that's toughest on crime.
"If crime rates continue to come down, then eventually the level of fear will not rise, but it might actually taper off or stabilize, in which case the usefulness of it as a ballot question for the Conservatives will weaken over time," said Bruce Anderson, president of polling firm Harris-Decima.
Statistics Canada says the seven per cent drop in the national crime rate was led by falling counterfeiting offences and theft under $5,000, including fewer break-ins and stolen cars.
Robbery committed with a firearm declined 12 per cent from the previous year, hitting its lowest point in three decades.
The numbers fly in the face of popular media and political messaging, which portrays crime across Canada as rising in both volume and ferocity.
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The Tories do not have politics message for the next election!
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