Record homicide numbers, violent crime statistics not seen since 2009, higher numbers of youth offences and increased property crime: the Winnipeg Police Service’s annual statistical report paints a grim picture of crime in the city.
The service saw 22,433 emergency dispatches last year – a record high for the city, WPS data analyst David Bowman said in a presentation Tuesday morning.
Dispatches are ranked on a scale from zero to nine based on the severity of the call, with zero being of utmost concern. Emergency dispatches fall between zero and two.
Violent crime numbers were up 19 per cent from 2021, while property crimes were up 32 per cent. Drug crimes decreased by 21 per cent, making for an overall increase in criminal activity of 25 per cent.
The figures put Winnipeg in the number three spot for total crime severity on a national scale, behind Lethbridge, Alta., and Kelowna, B.C., and second in violent crime severity, with Regina taking the top spot.
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted criminal activities, comparing 2022 with 2019 statistics only saw an approximately four per cent increase, with minimal increases in all categories, Bowman said.
However, violent crime was the exception.
Crimes involving the use of bear spray doubled since 2019, while robberies were up by 26 per cent since 2021 and sexual assaults saw an increase of 21 per cent. Arson numbers declined by 15 per cent year over year.
Chief Danny Smyth called the numbers “of serious concern” in the annual report, but later said a pandemic low in crime rates skews the figures.
“We were all at home during the pandemic, the opportunities for property crimes were less during the pandemic because somebody was always around. People are back and away from their homes and it provides opportunity,” he told Global News’ Marney Blunt.
Bowman cited break and enters, motor vehicle theft and shoplifting under $5,000 as the main drivers of property crime. The most common type of stolen item was found to be catalytic converters, the report said.
The Manitoba Home Builders Association said the increased number of property crimes is no surprise, as it’s seeing increased thefts on its job sites and elsewhere.
“It is escalating,” Lanny McInnes, president and CEO of the association, told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
Builders and contractors are finding offenders will loot show homes for fixtures and carpets.
“In some cases where our members are now putting bars on the basement windows in their show homes.”
Robberies involving youth increased over 95 per cent from 2021, while homicides involving youth spiked 85 per cent over the five-year average to 13.
Smyth said the record number of slayings seen in 2022 is taxing on police resources, which didn’t see a net increase in manpower over the year.
“When we saw a spike in the ’90s, we saw an increase in resources to reflect that. During my time as chief, we’re down about 100 officers from where we were,” he said.
The clearance rate for homicides sits at just over 80 per cent, Bowman said, with an overall rate of clearance for violent crime at 55 per cent.
Bowman noted 14 per cent of violent crimes couldn’t be solved due to the victim’s unwillingness to participate in investigations.
Offenders on bail accounted for one in five crimes in the report.
— with files from Global News’ Marney Blunt
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