Winnipeg records drop in violent crime, homicides in 2025: police report

Winnipeg police are seeing some encouraging crime numbers.

The city saw a decrease in violent crime and severity last year, according to the police service’s 2025 annual report.

Robberies, assault and firearm offences were all down compared to 2024, as were shoplifting, youth crime, retail theft and knife-related crimes.

Homicides dropped sharply by nearly 49 per cent.

“These results reflect the commitment of our members, the strength of our partnerships, and the shared belief that community safety is everyone’s responsibility,” said WPS Chief Gene Bowers.

“I do think we are addressing that safety issue. We are working with our partners, also our foot patrol. Visibility has a big effect on the perception of safety.”

But police say there’s still work to be done.

“This isn’t a victory lap, because there are still challenges remaining,” Bowers said. “Calls for service continue to play a significant demand on out front-line responders and support personnel.”

One category that increased substantially was hate crimes, which surged 150 per cent. Police say it’s due to the increase in the number of incidents reported online.

Youth crimes dropped 12 per cent for the first time in four years. Violent youth crimes decreased 16 per cent, making it the largest decrease in recent history.

Police say total crime severity “decreased significantly” in 2025, dropping nearly nine per cent. Violent crime was down 11 per cent.

“Restorative justice is something we are looking into,” Chief Bowers said. “So we want more focus on restorative justice for youth especially.”

Despite overall encouraging results, police say the number of repeat offences remain high and it’s putting a strain on officers.

They say call volumes remain high, averaging 2,000 daily.

“Those are still high,” Bowers said. “The people that have been already involved in the justice system and we are re-arresting. That’s concerning, because that takes a lot of our time to keep doing that.”

Property crimes increased slightly. Police say property crime numbers could be higher due to the fact that not all incidents are reported, with some areas seeing a 16 per cent increase.

Meanwhile police say downtown crime remains a concern in the city, especially along the Portage Avenue stretch. Authorities say the homelessness and addictions crisis are major contributors.

“Keeping in mind that we are coming out of very low year in 2024, it was a bit of a rebound in 2025,” said David Bowman, the WPS’ director of organizational development and support. “So, we are seeing that larger per cent increase. Now what we are seeing in 2026 is not only the return to below 2025, but we are also trending lower than 2024.”

“The crime numbers, they only show progress, but they don’t tell the whole story,” added Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham. “If people don’t feel safe, that is what matters. That’s why we need to continue to work on the downtown, particularly.”

The full report is available online.