Manitoba RCMP scheduled to announce new violent crime task force

Manitoba RCMP plan to announce details Friday about a new task force that will be focused on violent crimes.

"The incidences of violent crime in some rural communities in Manitoba is escalating," RCMP said in a news release.

This announcement comes after new data from Statistics Canada showed violent crime rose by five per cent in 2021, which hit a level that is higher than numbers before the pandemic.

The violent crime numbers were driven by sexual assaults reported to police. The data showed there was an 18 per cent increase in level 1 sexual assault from 2020, which is "assault of a sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim."

In 2021, there were 34,242 sexual assaults reported, which was 90 incidents per 100,000 population. Statistics Canada said this was the highest rate in the country since 1996.

A news conference is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. and CTV News will be covering the story.