Police say Ottawa’s overall crime rate rose by four per cent in 2024, driven by an increase in non-violent crime rates. Read MoreViolent crime rates remained relatively steady while non-violent crime rates increased, police said
Violent crime rates remained relatively steady while non-violent crime rates increased, police said
Article content
Police say Ottawa’s overall crime rate rose by four per cent in 2024, driven by an increase in non-violent crime rates.
Article content
According to the OPS’ 2024 annual report, there were 4,610 police-reported offences per 100,000 residents last year. In 2023, that number was 4,430 offences per 100,000 residents.
Article content
Article content
The crime severity index also rose to 55.4 in 2024 from 54.5 in 2023, a two-per- cent increase.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
According to police, the index is used to measure crime reported to police and reflects the relative seriousness of each offence.
Article content
The Evening Citizen
Article content
Violent crime rates remained relatively steady in 2024 with 746 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 748 cases per 100,000 people in 2023. There were 8,192 reported violent crime cases in 2024, a one-per-cent increase since 2023.
Article content
Police attributed this to an increase in sexual assault, assault and deaths.
Article content
There were 21 homicides with 26 victims in 2024. Sixteen of those cases have been solved, police said.
Article content
The police also reported that shootings dropped from 73 to 53 in 2024, a 27-per-cent decrease. More than 100 “crime guns” were also seized last year.
Article content
Meanwhile, non-violent crime rates rose to 3,864 cases per 100,000 people in 2024, a five-per-cent increase since 2023. There were 42,416 reported non-violent crime cases in 2024, a six per cent increase since 2023 (39,931 reported cases).
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Police said this reflected an increase in property crime, mainly theft and fraud.
Article content
Read More
-
Two-alarm fire severely damages home in Bay ward
-
High winds, thunderstorm as heat wave continues to grip the capital
-
Advertisement embed-more-topic
Story continues below
Article content
Motor vehicle thefts dropped by 21 per cent, the OPS reported.
Article content
Ottawa also saw a minor increase in motor vehicle collisions, but the number of traffic fatalities have decreased.
Article content
According to the report, there were 19,780 motor vehicle collisions in 2024, a one per cent increase from the previous year. There were 18 traffic fatalities last year, down from 27 in 2023.
Article content
“These figures reflect the realities of a growing, dynamic city — and the dedication of the officers and staff working to keep it safe,” said OPS Chief Eric Stubbs in the report.
Article content
Hate crimes still ‘significantly underreported,’ say police
Article content
The 2024 annual report also suggests that while hate crimes have decreased in 2024, many were still significantly underreported.
Article content
The OPS defines hate crimes as “criminal acts motivated by hate or bias against individuals or groups based on factors such as race, national or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.”
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
