Ottawa police reporting 63 per cent increase in crime in last 10 years

The sign outside Ottawa Police headquarters on Elgin St. is seen in this undated photo. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service is reporting an overall increase in the volume of crime in Ottawa between 2015 and 2024 as it works toward its 2026 draft budget.

A document prepared for Monday’s Ottawa Police Service Board meeting shows a 63 per cent increase in criminal offences when comparing 2024 with 2015, with 50,600 offences. Violent crime was up 58 per cent, with 8,200 offences, and property crime was up 64 per cent, with 35,800 offences.

Notably, police are reporting 12,100 shoplifting incidents in 2024, a 384 per cent increase compared with 2015. The only crime that saw an overall decrease was mischief, which was down 13 per cent. Assaults, uttering threats, sexual violations, homicides, and auto theft were all higher in 2024 than they were in 2015.

Ottawa Police Chief Stubbs said retail theft includes a broad spectrum of reasons, from organized criminals targeting jewelry stores or high-end fragrances in big box stores, to teenagers stealing on their lunch breaks, to people who can’t afford food.

He attributed the rise in crime to several elements; not only the increase in Ottawa’s population, but also the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a report prepared for Monday’s meeting, Stubbs noted that some business owners and managers have expressed concerns about theft, mischief and employee safety, but they don’t always contact police.

“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 wrote in a report.

In the last few years, however, more people have begun to report these crimes, he said.

“One thing you see with the rise in retail theft is because they are reporting more,” Stubbs told reporters Monday, ahead of the Ottawa Police Service Board meeting. “It’s important to report so we know, and we can collate that group that we have and identify the prolific offenders and what they’re going after so that we can get operational projects set up so we can try to nail these folks. So, it’s important to report, even if it might seem like it’s a waste of time.”

He also said the Ottawa Police Service has a team that can help small business owners reorganize their businesses to make them better able to avoid or deal with theft.

“We have a program called ‘crime prevention through environmental design’… and our groups will go into a business, if they request, and we will look at their store design, how they’re laid out, both security and structurally, and try to give them some advice and tips on how they can harden their store,” he said. “That could mean moving where their till is, having more people at the front of the store, a camera, some bars on the windows.”

Budget 2026

The 2026 budget directions for the City of Ottawa include a proposed 6.5 per cent increase to the police levy. Earlier this year, the police service was forecasting $44 million in budgetary pressures, which would have required a 10.6 per cent increase in funding over 2025 levels.

Stubbs has said resources are stretched thin across the city. The same document also shows that sick leave hours are up 34 per cent, overtime hours are up 226 per cent, and the absenteeism rate is up 3 per cent. Meanwhile, demand for service is rising, with calls to police up 11 per cent in 2024 compared to 2015.

Additionally, police say officers solved just over one quarter of all reported crimes in 2024, with a clearance rate of 26 per cent, down 10 points from 2015.

In a report prepared for the board, Stubbs said outreach with city councillors and the community show residents want to see more police in their neighbourhoods.

“Residents want a police service that is present in their neighbourhoods, responsive when called upon, and compassionate in its approach,” the report says. “These expectations align with the Service’s strategic priorities, such as district policing, traffic safety, member wellness, and partnerships with the community.”

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