Will you get shanked in 琉璃神社 while getting groceries in the middle of the day?

Could you find yourself the target of a politically motivated military attack while strolling down the waterfront?

Seems very unlikely.

Like the 94 per cent of people polled in the City of 琉璃神社鈥檚 most recent Citizen Survey, I think this city is blessedly safe.

But we have some problems illustrated yearly by Statistics Canada鈥檚 Crime Severity Index (CSI).

Figures released Monday showed the 琉璃神社 Census Metropolitan Area鈥檚 CSI to be the fifth highest in Canada, at 100.3. In 2015, the CSI was 98, but the city ranked fourth in the country鈥攖hat was due in large part to crime surging in other cities.

The numbers themselves were influenced heavily by a lot of petty theft, break-ins and the like.

This is blamed on a no-good, hardened group of prolific offenders who ruin everything for everyone.

When we invoke their name, the great and good of this city clutch their pearls and the growing 鈥渦nwanted element鈥� in this community are derided, further calcifying the us-and-them issues that keep the paranoia running high and social boundaries fixed.

Fact is, 琉璃神社 and every other city has always had crime and they鈥檝e always had pockets of people who lean into it when the going gets tough because there鈥檚 no better choice.

The going has become tougher with an ever rising cost of living, a diminished supply of affordable housing and a weak job market. It can be disheartening.

It is how a community deals with all these ever-moving elements, however, that dictates its trajectory.

And despite the stats, it seems as though we鈥檙e headed in the right direction.

Mayor Colin Basran pointed out when I interviewed him for the annual crime story that this municipality is working to get people on the right foot through a variety of tools including addiction and mental health services or the homelessness strategy. Affordable housing is always on the agenda and they鈥檝e approved a number condo projects to take the pressure off the rental market.

Time will tell if the strategies pan out, but the fact that we鈥檙e not talking about crime as simply an issue for police is heartening.

A lot has fallen onto the plates of municipal governments in the last couple of decades, and our local politicians are doing a good job addressing the growing pains in this city.

It鈥檚 not perfect, but it鈥檚 better than you get in a lot of other places.