2022 Annual Statistical Report

Released: May 30, 2023 at 8:43 a.m.

The Winnipeg Police Service 2022 Statistical Report is, by its nature, a collection of crimes reported to police that occurred in Winnipeg. While the statistics are accurate, what’s missing is the context and stories behind the crime reports.

As we came out of the pandemic in 2022, we returned to some sense of normalcy as we returned to work, schools reopened, mask mandates were scaled back, organized sports returned, and businesses started to thrive again. However, crime rates, which had dropped during the pandemic, also returned to higher-than-normal levels. In the coming years, the challenge will be to determine and make sense of how this environment impacted people, crime trends, and police-related calls for service.

There were several dynamics observed in 2022; most were of great concern. In no particular order, here’s some of what we experienced:

  • Calls to our Communications Centre increased by 6% over 2021 and the five-year average (13.6%), with nearly 2000 calls being received daily on average.
  • Total crime increased over 2021 (+25.6%) and the five-year average (+17.0%), returning to the upward trend observed pre-pandemic.
  • Violent crime severity reached its highest level since 2009, including a record number of Homicides (53). Crimes committed with a knife increased by 12% over 2021, and the use of bear spray in violent crimes has doubled since 2019. Offenders on bail accounted for 1 in 5 cleared violent crimes.
  • Property crime increased over 2021 (32%), and the five-year average (20.3%) returned to its pre-pandemic upward trend. The recent historic low influenced the significant year-over-year percent change in 2021.
  • Youth crime increased over 2021 (+43.4%) but fell below the five-year average (-13.7%). Youth crime in Winnipeg had been declining steadily for many years, reaching a recent historic low in 2021.
  • The total number of dispatched events remained relatively unchanged from 2021; however, emergency dispatched events increased over 2021 (11.9%) and the five-year average (17.9%).

I would like to acknowledge all members of the Winnipeg Police Service for their care and commitment to those who live, work, and play in Winnipeg. Thank you for watching out for our community and each other.

 

Danny G. Smyth
Chief of Police

Police

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