OTTAWA, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- More than one quarter of Canadians age 15 and older said they were victims of a crime in 2009, Statistics Canada reports.
Most of those crimes were non-violent. Only 6 percent reported being a victim of assault, robbery or physical assault.
The 2009 victimization survey was the first since 2004. Statistics Canada said rates of victimization for both violent and non-violent crime remained stable.
There were, however, big shifts within categories. Burglaries rose 21 percent, while motor vehicle theft and the theft of vehicle parts declined 23 percent.
Only a minority of those who reported being crime victims, 31 percent, said they had reported the crime to police, down from 34 percent in 2004. Only 29 percent of violent crimes were reported, while 36 percent of non-violent ones were.
Young people were far more likely to be victims of violent crimes, with assault the most common. People who described themselves as aboriginal, that is Indian or Inuit, were twice as likely to have been the victim of a violent crime.
Sixteen percent of those who reported being victims of a violent crime reported being victimized twice, while 10 percent said they had been victimized three or more times.
