Despite receiving an average of 2,000 service calls daily in 2025, Winnipeg saw less violent crime than it did in 2024, police said, adding that crime severity was also lower.
In the city, the police officer-to-population ratio improved for the first time in over a decade, with the last reported increase in 2013, said David Bowman, director of organizational development and support for the Winnipeg police.
Steep declines in violent crimes were reported across the board for the second year in a row, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) said in a news release.
Violent crimes in this context include homicides, assaults, robberies, and firearm or knife offences. Combined, the collective decreases led to an overall 8.8 per cent drop in the crime severity index, police said.
The index is a tool used to measure the amount of crime in an area with consideration for the intensity of the offences committed, according to Statistics Canada.
“Violent crime severity in Winnipeg peaked in 2009 and again in 2023 – with a downward trend starting to emerge in 2024,” Bowman said, adding that the recent peak in thw index led to the introduction of a violent offender apprehension team.
Crime volume solely considers the amount of crime.
“In 2025, total crime volume remained relatively unchanged compared to 2024. However, violent crime decreased by nearly five per cent. This marks the second consecutive year in reductions in violent crime,” Bowman said.
Despite the decrease in violent crimes, a 12.9 per cent increase in the number of people arrested, compared with 2024, was reported. This figure works out to more than 18,000 arrests in 2025.
“This isn’t a victory lap because there’s still challenges,” Winnipeg police Chief Gene Bowers said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“These are statistics – but behind every statistic is a family, a person, a neighbourhood.”
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Cybercrimes, including sextortion, also increased. The median victim age was said to be 20 years old, with 15-year-olds reporting the crime the most often.
Hate crimes were also on the rise in 2025, with more than 100 cases reported.
Twenty per cent of hate crime reports last year were sent online, which was made available for the first time in 2025 for hate-related graffiti, Bowman said.
“While changes in reporting and internal review here at WPS may explain part of the increase, we do recognize that broader global tensions are likely contributing to a real rise in incidents,” he said.
Property crime increased by less than one per cent on a year-by-year basis, but the rate is still lower than it was pre-pandemic, police said. Two-thirds of these crimes were reported online.
Of the property crimes, shoplifting, break and enters and car thefts decreased, police said.
“These decreases were offset by increases in mischief, theft from motor vehicles and fraud,” Bowman said.
“While these numbers are still concerning, the downward shift in shoplifting after three consecutive years of increase is notable.”
This lower rate of shoplifting has continued this year, he added.
Drivers were also being stopped by Winnipeg police more often in 2025 than the year prior; Bowman said there was a 14 per cent uptick in traffic stops.
Crime also declined among young people for the first time in four years in 2025. The WPS reported a 16 per cent reduction in violent crimes by youths and a 24.1 per cent decrease in weapon-related youth offences compared with a year prior.
Calls for police aid, such as wellness checks and domestic calls, increased by just under three per cent, Bowman said.
“Well-being checks remain the top citizen-generated event for the sixth year in a row, followed by domestic events and disturbances. This pattern speaks to a broad range of issues, many of which are non-criminal in nature,” he told reporters at police headquarters.
Bowers said the 2025 data is encouraging and shows the WPS is moving in the right direction.
Preliminary data for 2026 points towards downward trends continuing, including in robberies, firearms and knife-related crimes. The downtown area also reported a decrease in crime in the early half of this year, police said.
Looking at future moves based on last year’s data, the police chief said he is interested in pursuing restorative justice, especially for young offenders.
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