Winnipeg Police release annual report of city crime

WINNIPEG -

The number of total crimes in Winnipeg declined 10 per cent during the first year of the pandemic compared to 2019, according to the Winnipeg Police Service’s annual statistical report.

The report, released Tuesday by the WPS, shows the number of violent crimes dropped three per cent and property crimes were down nearly 14 per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Winnipeg recorded 42 homicides in 2020, down 4.5 per cent compared to 2019 when the city hit a grim record of 44 homicides in one year.

Danny Smyth, chief of the Winnipeg Police Service, is scheduled to address the report in interviews with media outlets, including CTV News Winnipeg, on Tuesday afternoon.

Smyth said in a prepared statement Tuesday morning the modest decrease in violent crimes was driven primarily by a reduction in robberies.

“However, the number of homicides was quite high for the second year in a row,” Smyth’s statement reads. “I do note some cause for concern regarding the increase in assault with a weapon offences, and in particular, the number of knife-related events.”

The homicide rate for Indigenous people in Canada is seven times higher compared non-Indigenous people, according to new numbers released in a separate report by Statistics Canada. The agency said a history of colonization, including residential schools, work camps and forced relocation has profoundly affected Indigenous communities and families.

“As a result, many Indigenous peoples experience challenging social and economic circumstances,” Statistics Canada said in a report on police-reported crimes. “These factors play a significant role in the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system and as victims of crime.”

Police across Canada reported 201 Indigenous people died in homicides in 2020, up 22 compared to 2019. Two-thirds (62 per cent) were identified by police as First Nations people.

Smyth said COVID-19 is a factor in this year’s crime statistics in Winnipeg, but he added it will likely be another year before the police service will be able to see the full effects of the pandemic on its operations.

“Property crime was significantly reduced compared to the previous year, with fewer reports of break & enter, shoplifting and theft under $5,000 being reported,” Smyth said in the statement. “There was a dramatic decrease in the number of liquor store thefts, primarily driven by the implementation of security protocols by the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.”

Smyth said calls to the police communications centre fell by almost six per cent but he said the total number of calls dispatched increased. Of those, he said the number of check well-being calls increased by 12 per cent, surpassing domestic violence as the top reason why police are dispatched in the community.

According to Statistics Canada, Winnipeg had the second-highest crime severity index of big Canadian cities (116.3, down 12 per cent from 2019) in 2020, behind only Lethbridge (138.7, down three per cent from 2019).

The crime severity index measures the volume and severity of crimes reported to police.

Statistics Canada found the crime severity index across Canada went down 7.9 per cent in 2020 due to stay-at-home orders and public health restrictions, with the exception of hate crimes which increased 37 per cent during the first year of the pandemic.

The number of police-reported hate crimes in Canada went from 1951 incidents in 2019 to 2669 in 2020 marking the largest number of police-reported hate crimes since comparable data became available in 2009.