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Reported crime was up in Ottawa in 2016, but the rate of violent crime remained relatively the same, even after a near-record year of homicides, according to the 2016 Ottawa Police Service annual report.

The crime rate was up nearly six per cent from 2015, but the rate of violent crime, despite a year of atypical bloodshed in the city, was down almost one per cent. The rate of non-violent reported crime was up more than seven per cent.

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The annual report “highlights how (OPS) addressed (its) three operational priorities – violence against women, guns and gangs, and traffic safety; and how (the service is) changing to better serve the residents of Ottawa,” said a report to the police board in advance of Monday’s monthly meeting. “It also reflects (the force’s) commitment to public accountability and transparency by providing indicators of police performance.”

Though the rate of violent crime was slightly down, the force said the “overall severity of violent crime” was up by 13 per cent, largely driven by “murder, assaults, sexual violations, and abduction offences.”