Winkler's Police Chief isn't alarmed by the city's high ranking on a national magazine's list of "Canada’s Most Dangerous Places 2018".

According to Maclean's national crime data rubric, Winkler sits as the sixth most dangerous community when it comes to homicide rates.

However, when it comes to homicide, the numbers are skewed, Hiebert explains. The single homicide in 2016 puts Winkler nearly five times the Canadian average, per capita.

Measured by population the math comes out to 8.28 homicides per 100,000 people compared the national average of 1.68.

Winnipeg, with 24 homicides, only reached 3.26 per 100,000 people.

"We have a safe community," Hiebert says. "We shouldn't be on the list at all."

Police Chief Rick Hiebert at a charity bike auction. File photo

Taking into account all crime statistics, Winkler still scores 90th out of the 229 most dangerous communities, still weighed down by the single homicide, and listed with a crime severity index of 75 (the national average is 70.96).

Yet, assaults were nearly half the Canadian average, however. Sexual assaults also measured well below the average.

However, there were a number of Manitoba and area communities that did consistently figure high on the danger list including, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Winnipeg, and in Northwestern Ontario, Kenora.

Kenora reported 256 assaults, or 1,310.8 assaults per 100,000 population, putting them far above the national average of 430.68.

Kenora has a population of nearly 20,000.

With 32 sexual assaults, the community was more than triple the national average per 100,000 population.

Portage la Prairie (home to more than 13,400 people) reported 235 assaults or 1,752.55 per 100,000 population compared to the average of 430.68.

Thompson however, consistently rated near the top in multiple categories. With just over 14,000 people the city saw three homicides and a whopping 766 assaults, or 5,370.16 per 100,000 population, more than 10 times the national average.