Crime is up in Saskatoon — and the city's police chief says get used to it.

After years of a dropping crime rate, the past 12 months saw criminals getting more violent and roaming outside their typical parts of the city.

"I think the days of crimes decreasing significantly like it has over the past decade, I mean there's been some sharp decreases in crime, I think we're hitting a kind of plateauing, " Police Chief Clive Weighill said in an interview.

Chief Clive Weighill (CBC) ​Weighill blames the drug trade. He says the re-emergence of crystal methamphetamine is having a ripple effect.

Sooner or later, somebody is going to get injured. - Chief Clive Weighill

"A lot of them are using sawed-off shotguns, handguns, knives. Sooner or later somebody is going to get injured."

The numbers are up in a variety of categories.

There were more than double the number of attempted murder charges, at 11; armed robberies climbed 30 per cent; there was a 90 cent increase in commercial break-ins; and weapons charges were up by 12 per cent.

And it's not just happening downtown and on the west side.

"Preston and 8th Street, up in that area there," he said.

"Exhibition area. Briarwood, Briarwood was not a problem before, we're getting vehicles stolen from there, houses broken into."

Weighill says people can help prevent crime in the coming year by taking basic precautions.

Lock up your house when you're going out, and don't leave your keys in your car, he said.