Ottawa police see 9% increase in intimate partner violence reports so far this year

Ottawa Police sign outside headquarters on Elgin St. in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service says it has seen an increase in reports of intimate partner violence so far this year compared to the first half of 2024.

Police told CTV News Ottawa it received a total of 3,580 intimate partner-related reports in the first six months of 2025 over 3,257 reports from January to June of 2024, amounting to a nine per cent increase.

In a news release Monday, police said the most prevalent offences so far this year included, assault, breaches, harassing communications, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

The majority of victims identified as female (80.6 per cent) while 18.6 per cent identified as male. Fifty per cent of cases involved people between the ages of 30 and 45, police said. Just under five per cent of cases were younger than 18-years-old.

Reports of intimate partner violence have consistently increased since 2021, police said last year. A total of 6,636 incidents resulted in 3,355 charges in all of 2024. In 2023, there were 6,547 incidents reported and 3,820 charges laid.

“If you are experiencing intimate partner violence, please know that help is available, and there are people who care and want to support you. No one deserves to be harmed, controlled, or made to feel afraid,” police said Monday.

In January, police announced it would release both annual and semi-annual statistics on intimate partner violence as part of a wider plan to prioritize tackling gender-based violence and violence against women.

This is the first semi-annual report it has released.

The service hired “risk navigators” in 2023 and 2024 to assist victims of intimate partner violence who contact police. Police also brought in a new police dog this year specially trained to support victims and provide emotional support.

It became the first police force in the country to describe the killing of a woman or girl by a man as a femicide in 2024. So far this year, there have been four femicides in the city of Ottawa, exceeding last year’s total.

Intimate partner violence statistics so far this year:

By age group:

• 4.8% were under 18 years old
• 29.3% were between the ages of 18 and 29
• 50% were between the ages of 30 and 45
• 12.4% were between the ages of 46 and 60
• 3.4% were over the age of 60

By gender:

• 80.6% identified as female
• 18.6% identified as male

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond

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