A Statistics Canada report on crime has found that violent crime in Edmonton has increased by 3.2 per cent between 2024 and 2025 while non-violent crime has decreased by 11 per cent. The data is weighted through a Crime Severity Index which measures crime volume relative to the population and the severity of police-reported crimes by assigning great weight to more serious offences. Edmonton’s total crime severity has decreased by 6.5 per cent, the lowest the capital has seen since 2021, and is on par with provincial and national trends. However, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) data from 2025 shows a 3.2 per cent increase in total crime which measures the number of police-reported crimes per 100,000 people. At a press conference Wednesday, EPS Insp. Bryce Gibbon said the city has seen an increase in robberies, assaults, and child luring files that has contributed to the increase. Corresponding data found that calls for service have gone up 4.3 per cent. “As the city grows, we’re not surprised to see that increase in calls for service,” said Gibbon. But this year, policing efforts have amped up, contributing to lower numbers of violent and non-violent crime. “We’re only halfway through the year, but these initial results are encouraging and reflective of a more proactive approach,” said Operations Chief Devin Laforce. Edmonton has seen a 30 per cent increase in shoplifting under $5,000 and a 23 per cent increase in mischief. Theft under $5,000 from a vehicle saw a 17 per cent increase. Property theft and mischief are typically crimes that go largely unreported, but after EPS implemented online reporting in 2024, those numbers have gone up. “The numbers we take very seriously as far as them being elevated,” said Laforce. “But I will argue that we want the true picture, and we still have a long way to go in order to increase the reporting of crime.” Edmonton usually stacks higher per capita in homicides, shootings and gang violence compared to other cities, which Laforce says is driven by factors like higher immigration, larger youth and male demographics, and more prisons in area. “All of these factors play a role … It just ends up being what Edmonton’s environment is, and it has been for many years.”
