Mississauga has been recognized as Canadas safest city for the tenth consecutive year. As the sixth largest city in Canada, Mississauga has consistently reported the lowest crime rates when compared to eight other major cities, including Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
Mayor Hazel McCallion, who is currently serving her 11th consecutive term for the city, said that the citizens are part of the crime prevention solution. They are involved, report incidents, look out for their neighbours and take pride in their city.
Formed in 1974, Mississauga is the youngest municipality in the group. The Mississauga Crime Prevention Association compared crime statistics from 2008 under three categories: violent crimes, property crimes and other criminal code offences. Mississauga, with a population of 730,000, ranked the lowest in each category and reported a total crime rate of 3,268 occurrences per 100,000 people.
Mississauga is boasted to be a lively, secure place to live with Ontarios largest mall, one of the worlds largest public library systems and Canadas largest airport all within residents reach.
Regardless of this top ranking, the crime rate in Mississauga has increased since the previous year. The homicide rate nearly doubled from 10 percent in 2007 to 17 percent in 2008. There was also an increase in robberies, from 527 to 593 incidences. In addition, Mississauga was the only city of the group that reported an increase in break-and-enters.
The Mississauga Crime Prevention Association is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with Peel Regional Police and other groups in the city to prevent crime and educate residents.
