CPA ACP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crime data shows the value of sustained support for front-line policing

OTTAWA – The Canadian Police Association (CPA) welcomes new Statistics Canada data released today showing meaningful reductions in several of the crimes that cause the greatest harm to Canadian communities.

The national Crime Severity Index declined by 5% in 2025, including a 4% reduction in the Violent Crime Severity Index. There were 672 homicides, 125 fewer than the previous year and the largest annual decline since 1986. Gang-related homicides fell by 24%, gang-related homicides involving a handgun declined by 39%, and police also reported significant reductions in motor vehicle theft, robbery, breaking and entering, extortion and firearms offences.

“These are encouraging numbers, and from my perspective, nobody in policing should hesitate to say so,” said CPA President Tom Stamatakis. “These are not just points on an index. They mean Canadians made it home safely and families were spared the worst day of their lives. That is what progress in public safety looks like.”

The decline in motor vehicle theft provides a particularly clear example of what coordinated action can achieve. Following the federal government’s 2024 National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, the resulting national action plan brought police services, the Canada Border Services Agency, governments, and industry into a more coordinated enforcement effort, backed by new resources to identify and intercept stolen vehicles at ports and railyards. With motor vehicle theft falling another 16% in 2025, the value of that sustained investment and cooperation is clear.

“When governments give police the tools, resources and support necessary to do the job, the results are clear,” said Stamatakis. “The progress we are seeing in areas such as organized auto theft, gang violence and firearms offences did not happen because these problems solved themselves. It took sustained police work, better coordination and governments recognizing that enforcement has an essential role to play.”

The CPA cautioned that the national decline does not mean the pressure on front-line policing has disappeared. The Violent Crime Severity Index remains approximately 29% higher than it was in 2015, criminal harassment increased by 6%, and conditions continue to vary considerably across the country, particularly in northern, rural and other communities where crime remains exceptionally high.

Crime statistics also capture only part of police workload. Police services received approximately 14.8 million calls for service during the latest reporting period, many involving mental-health crises, overdoses, missing persons, domestic disturbances and other urgent situations that may never appear in the Crime Severity Index. Statistics Canada also cautioned that the reported decline in child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences may reflect the limited capacity of police services to investigate every identified case, rather than a comparable reduction in the underlying criminal activity.

“A lower Crime Severity Index does not necessarily mean fewer calls, less complex investigations or less pressure on the officers responding,” added Stamatakis. “The lesson from these numbers is not that governments can now step back. It is that targeted enforcement and sustained investment work, and that we should build on this progress by making sure police have the people, technology and investigative tools necessary to keep it going.”

The Canadian Police Association will continue working with governments at every level to sustain these gains and ensure front-line police personnel have the resources required to respond to emerging and persistent threats to public safety.

The Canadian Police Association is the national voice for approximately 60,000 sworn and civilian police personnel across Canada, and the largest law enforcement advocacy organization in the country. Through our member associations, the CPA advocates on behalf of front-line police personnel and their families on issues that affect the safety and well-being of our members and the communities they serve.

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Media contact:

Michael Gendron

Canadian Police Association mgendron@cpa-acp.ca / 613-299-6516