Urbanization and Crime Rates

Urbanization and Crime in Canada



Urbanization is the phase of urban centre development, predominantly in terms of population and infrastructure. In recent years, according to the 2014 United Nations Global Urbanization Survey, Canada has emerged among the countries with the highest rate of urbanization, ranking 40th in the world (Hawkins, 2008). Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal are some of the major cities in this region. These communities are troubled by problems related to the rise in the rate of crime.



The Demographic Hypothesis



One of the reasons for rising crime rates in urban centers in Canada has been the demographic hypothesis. Since most robbery offenders are young adults, they are mostly under the influence of hard drugs and the only place they can find easy money is in the urban centers. Here is also where they find their drugs and, thus, being where they are centered (Desroches 2002). Decongesting the cities make it easier for them to be traced and aligned in court.



Rural-Urban Migration



The rise in crime rates is highly attributed to rural-urban migration. Measures to curb this trend are necessary. One of the solutions is to provide incentives for people living and working in the suburbs of the cities. These include offering land on the outskirts of Canadian cities to attract new occupants. To a minimal extent, this policy has helped and this has resulted in the emergence of settlements in towns like Saint-Louis-de-Blandford (The Canadian Press • June 29, 2015).



Another solution would be for the government settling immigrants into the rural communities. This policy will go a long way minimizing the congestion in the cities, which leads to crimes (Berger, 2011). The government has implemented this solution by coming up with programs, which attract immigrants into the rural areas. This is also leading to an urban-rural migration, which is slowly decongesting the cities. This, in return, minimizes crime rates. The population of Winkler and Morden was 10,700 and 7,800 in the year 2011 respectively. Since the implementation of this program, the population has risen by more than 3,000 people. This is a clear indication of the effectiveness of the immigration programs (Alia, 2016).



Conclusion



In conclusion, the crime committing is associated with urbanization. The measures of dealing with the crime are the ones that will either promote or hamper urbanization. The Canadian policies and programs are pointed to eliminating criminal acts.



References



Berger, A. S. (2011). The city: Urban communities and their problems. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown.

Desroches, F. J. (2002). Force & fear: robbery in Canada. Toronto: Canadian scholars Press.

Dharssi, A. (2016, October 26). Canada's small cities and rural areas desperate for immigrants. Retrieved November 30, 2017, from http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/canadas-small-cities-and-rural-areas-desperate-for-immigrants

Hawkins, F. (2008). Canada and immigration: Public policy and public concern. Toronto: Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

The Canadian Press – June 29, 2015;

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