Guelph Police release their 2025 crime report

A Guelph Police Service vehicle in an undated image.

Guelph Police are taking a look back at their work in 2025.

The force has shared its annual report, detailing everything from homicide investigations to traffic enforcement.

While the number of reported incidents and charges didn’t dramatically change between 2024 and 2025, road safety and human trafficking were two of the areas where Guelph Police made some gains.

Homicides

Police investigated one homicide and four attempted murders in 2025.

An elderly woman was discovered unconscious on the sidewalk in downtown Guelph on Aug. 31. She died three days later in hospital. A 34-year-old was arrested the same day and initially charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. The charge was then upgraded to second-degree murder.

A Guelph man was charged with attempted murder after a neighbour dispute turned violent. Police said the man knocked down a fence to get into his neighbour’s backyard, then grabbed a shovel and used it to smash open the home’s patio door. Once inside, he allegedly hit the homeowner in the head and face repeatedly with the shovel. The victim was in his 70s.

Two men went to hospital following a stabbing in downtown Guelph on June 4. Police determined the two men had been hurt during a fight at a home near Yarmouth Street and Woolwich Street. A 29-year-old was arrested the next day and charged with two counts of attempted murder, among other offences.

On Dec. 21, a Guelph man was arrested after his mother, a woman in her 60s, claimed she had been strangled by her son. He was charged with attempted murder.

Two homicides and five attempted murders were reported in 2024.

Assaults

There were 845 assaults/firearm-related offences reported last year, a slight increase from 839 in 2024.

Police were also involved in 263 sexual assault investigations.

In 2025, the force’s human trafficking and intimate partner violence (IPV) unit grew to eight officers.

“This increased resourcing contributed to a rise in proactive human trafficking investigations,” the report said.

In total, 80 human trafficking-related calls were reported in 2025. Of those, 25 resulted in charges.

There were 52 human trafficking-related calls in 2024, with 21 charges laid.

Arson

Guelph Police said there were 19 arson investigations in 2025, up from 14 in 2024.

Robberies

Guelph Police said 36 robberies were reported in 2025, compared to 52 in 2024.

They also investigated 379 break-ins, 2,475 thefts and 730 mischief calls.

Fraud

There were 860 frauds reported in 2025, a slight increase from the 848 reported in 2024.

Cybercrime saw the biggest drop. There were 592 incidents reported in 205, compared to 751 in 2024.

Weapons

Guelph Police laid 103 charges for possession of weapons in 2025, slightly down from the 116 charges reported in 2024.

Hate crimes

Eighteen hate crimes were reported last year. Guelph Police defined those as acts motivated by hate “based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or any other similar factor.”

In 2024, there were 22 hate crimes reported in the city.

Collisions

Guelph Police noted five fatal collisions in 2025.

One of those was on Jan. 8. A pedestrian died after he was hit by a Guelph Transit bus at Wyndham Street North and Carden Street. The 49-year-old man was later identified as a staff member for the City of Guelph. Police charged the bus driver with criminal negligence and careless driving causing death.

There were also 265 injuries reported from crashes and 2,596 incidents resulting in property damage.

Traffic charges

Police said officers laid 286 criminal charges related to traffic violations in 2025. There were 234 incidents reported in 2024.

They included:

• 141 charges for impaired driving (compared to 121 in 2024)
• 59 charges for dangerous operation (compared to 36 in 2024)
• 15 charges for failure to stop after an accident (compared to 22 in 2024)
• 37 charges for operation while prohibited (compared to 28 in 2024)

Under the Highway Traffic Act, there were 7,712 violations reported in 2025.

They included:

• 317 for driving without a validated permit (compared to 98 in 2024)
• 187 for driving without a licence (compared to 88 in 2024)
• 224 for driving while suspended (compared to 236 in 2024)
• 128 for driving with a hand-held communication device (compared to 71 in 2024)
• 89 for seat belt violation (compared to 69 in 2024)
• 2,873 for speeding (compared to 2,309 in 2024)
• 340 for careless driving (compared to 266 in 2024)
• 189 for failing to stop at a red light (compared to 124 in 2024)
• 169 for disobeying a stop sign (compared to 84 in 2024)

Drugs

Officers laid 192 charges in 2025, as well as three charges related to the Cannabis Act.

By comparison, in 2024, there were 183 charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and 11 related to the Cannabis Act.

Calls for service

Guelph Police said calls for service, for both emergencies and non-emergencies, came in at 86,107 for 2025.