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Violent crime in Canada fell for the eighth straight year — despite a slight increase in homicides — with Saskatoon becoming the country’s most crime-ridden city and Montreal showing a significant drop, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

The downward trend came as the agency reported serious crime in general fell to its lowest relative level since 1969 — marking 11 straight years of declines.

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What accounts for the downward trend is not easily explained, said criminologist Anthony Doob.

“People have been looking at this for a long time but haven’t come up with completely adequate answers,” said Doob, a professor at the University of Toronto.

“It may have to do with some changes in the demographic makeup of Canada but that’s small — that certainly doesn’t account for it.”

According to StatsCan, police reported about 369,500 violent incidents in 2014 — 15,000 fewer than in 2013 — representing a five per cent decrease. While homicides edged up to 516 from 512 a year earlier, the rate remained unchanged relative to Canada’s population size.