Crime rate takes 26% jump in Ward 5 over 2021

WEST CARLETON – Crime rate stats took a considerable jump in West Carleton in 2022 increasing 26 per cent over 2021 numbers the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said in its 2022 annual report released today (June 26).

The Annual Report highlights the work OPS members are doing to serve and protect the residents of Ottawa, providing an overview of the number of calls for service, police response times, initiatives to support victims of crime and modernize policing. 

“A common theme that I hear from business owners, concerned citizens and community groups is the need for more policing in their communities; that the work we do to ensure our city’s safety is important to our neighbourhoods’ well-being,” OPS Chief Eric Stubbs said. “The demand often exceeds our resources, and we are working to identify gaps and develop models that maximize our efficiency to respond to calls for service effectively.”  

The crime rate is calculated per 100,000 of population.

In Ward 5, there was a 28 per cent increase in reported crimes jumping from 271 reported crimes in 2021 to 347 in 2022. Calls for service went down 12 per cent in 2022 from 3,796 to 3,342 in 2022.

Ward 5 violent crimes went up 58.6 per cent from 58 reported crimes to 92. Violent crimes are described as crimes against the body. Non-violent crimes went up 19.7 per cent from 213 to 255.

The clearance rate (crimes solved by police) also increased by just under six per cent jumping from 13.7 per cent to 19.6 per cent.

There were no murders in Ward 5 in 2022, but there was a case of a person attempting the commission of a capital crime. There 40 assaults in 2022, up from 28 in 2021. There were 16 sexual violations up from 11 in 2021.

There were three cases of arson in 2022, up from zero in 2021. Break and enters were on the rise as well, jumping from 23 to 34. There were 15 motor vehicle thefts in 2022.

Reported thefts took a small dip in Ward 5 in 2022. Theft cases over $5,000 remained steady at six, while theft under $5,000 dropped by two to 53 cases. There were 78 incidents of fraud and 50 incidents of mischief.

There was only one case related to the Controlled Drub and Substances Act offences with one case of trafficking.

In total there were 26 Criminal Code Traffic Offences in Ward 5 in 2022 and all of them were cleared by the police.

Compared to the entire city, the crime rate across all 24 wards jumped by 16.2 per cent. Reported crimes rose by 18.5 per cent with 42,984 calls in 2022. The clearance rate dropped by 3.1 per cent to 28.7 in 2022.

Calls for service rose by 2.5 per cent to 346,125.

Violations causing death dropped from 17 to 13 in 2022. The five-year average is 14.

Assaults rose from 3,754 to 3,964 in 2022. Sexual violations rose from 894 to 963.

Here are some other highlights from 2022:  

• Demand for service increased nearly four per cent in 2022 to 370,000 requests for service, translating into 8,600 more calls received through the dispatch system and 4,700 more reports received online.   
• With approximately 43,000 reported Criminal Code of Canada offences (excluding traffic) in the city of Ottawa, the level of reported crime increased by 19 per cent last year.    
• The clearance rate for total Criminal Code offences (excluding traffic) declined by three per cent with 29 per cent of all cases cleared by charge or cleared otherwise.   
• Ottawa’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) increased by over 12 per cent last year to 54 points (Violent CSI per cent per cent; Non-Violent CSI 17 per cent).   
• The volume of reported violent crimes increased by six per cent in 2022, driven by assaults, threats, and robberies.   
• Property related offences increased by 26 per cent in 2022 primarily due to increases in the number of thefts (including shoplifting), thefts from motor vehicles, and commercial break and enters.    
• There were 13 homicide incidents in 2022 with 15 victims, and a 107 per cent clearance rate including historical cases solved.    
• The number of shootings has declined from 82 in 2021 to 60 in 2022 (-27%).   
• OPS officers seized 107 crime guns.  
• Naloxone was administered 104 times by officers to help save lives last year.   
• The number of collisions on our roadways increased by 40 per cent to 15,100 collisions while fatalities increased by 15 per cent to 23 on Ottawa roadways.  

The OPS says COVID-19 played a role in a rising Ottawa crime rate.

“As we transition from the pandemic, it is important to highlight the comparability between these two periods,” the OPS said. “As a result, several public safety metrics have risen compared to the previous year.”

“I’m looking forward to developing a new Strategic Plan with the Police Services Board and in tandem with the community through a multi-tiered consultative approach that can help to inform OPS on priority areas of focus for our Service,” Stubbs said.

To see the full 2022 OPS Annual Report, click here.