Violent, property and sex crimes soar in Ottawa
The Ottawa Police Service reported a sharp rise in crime across the nation’s capital during a board meeting Monday, citing significant increases in violent and property-related offences since 2015.
The Ottawa Police Service reported a sharp rise in crime across the nation’s capital during a board meeting Monday, citing significant increases in violent and property-related offences since 2015.
The meeting opened with a three-minute land acknowledgment recognizing Ottawa’s “40,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis residents,” before a report outlining crime trends and support measures for small businesses.
The report, prepared for the Ottawa Police Services Board, showed overall criminal offences climbed 63 per cent over the past decade, reaching about 50,600 cases in 2024.
Violent crime rose 58 per cent to roughly 8,200 incidents, while property-related crimes jumped 64 per cent to about 35,800.
Shoplifting saw the steepest increase, up 384 per cent from 2015, with police recording approximately 12,100 incidents last year. Mischief was the only major offence category to decline, down 13 per cent.
Assaults, uttering threats, sexual violations, homicides and vehicle thefts all increased over the same period.
Police Chief Eric Stubbs noted that even those figures may understate the true scope of retail theft, as some small business owners remain hesitant to file reports.
“Some businesses said they hesitate to call police because of the time involved in filing reports, while others stressed the value of preventative measures and direct engagement with officers,” Stubbs said while speaking to his report.
Stubbs said police depend on those reports to identify repeat offenders.
“One thing you see with the rise in retail theft is that more people are reporting it,” he said. “It’s important to report so we can identify prolific offenders and set up operational projects to target them.”
Stubbs added that the surge in shoplifting spans a range of motives, from organized groups targeting high-end merchandise to teenagers stealing during school hours and residents struggling with food insecurity.
He attributed some of the overall rise in crime to population growth and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not comment on whether possible federal Criminal Code changes could affect enforcement.
The chief also highlighted a years-old police initiative called “crime prevention through environmental design,” which helps retailers improve store layouts and security measures.
“That could mean moving where the till is, having more staff near the entrance, adding cameras or reinforcing windows,” Stubbs said.
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Is there a more deserving place to gain the full effect of 10+ years of their favored Liberal Regime and its insane policies.
Ha! Mischief crimes are die in Ottawa.
Better send the Freedom Convoy back to Ottawa, if you can find anyone willing to windup in jail.
During the Freedom Convoy crime was way down as this people took over the peace keeping duties the police were too busy to look after. The police were told to find something on the peaceful protestors, which was difficult on peaceful people shoveling sideways and setting food shops and bouncy castles.