A City on Edge: Rising Theft and Domestic Violence Cast Shadow Over Ottawa in 2025
/In 2025, Ottawa is facing a serious but confusing situation. Even though some major crimes have slightly decreased, people feel less safe, and many types of offenses are increasing. It's important to understand this complicated situation if you live in or are visiting the capital city.
Ottawa has a rise of 63% in crimes over the last decade 2015-2025 which is quite alarming and unsettling for the city of Ottawa. Improvements need to come fast in order for Ottawa to be more of a welcoming and inviting city.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-police-reporting-63-per-cent-increase-in-crime-in-last-10-years/
Driving-Up Concerns in Property Crime
One of the most noticeable changes in crime in Ottawa is the significant rise in property crimes, particularly small thefts. In the Sandy Hill neighborhood, for instance, thefts of items worth less than $5,000 jumped to about 85 incidents for every 1,000 people in the first nine months of 2025—making it the highest rate in the city. This is an increase of nearly 76% since 2018.Capital Current
The annual report from the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) shows that in 2024, there were roughly 50,600 criminal offenses (not including traffic violations)—a 5% increase compared to last year. Ottawa Police+1
What’s really upsetting for residents is the feeling that even when they report crimes, the chances of solving them are getting worse. The rate at which crimes are solved fell to just 26% in 2024.Ottawa Police+1
For many people in Ottawa, the increase in thefts leads to daily worries: leaving a car unlocked feels risky, packages on doorsteps are watched with concern, and shop owners worry about stealing happening again. Although the rise in smaller thefts doesn’t always make the news, it slowly wears down trust in the community
Domestic & Gender-Based Violence: A Quiet Crisis
While people often worry about property crimes, there is a growing concern in another important area: domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV). Data from OPS indicate that in 2024, there were 6,636 reported cases of IPV, an increase from 6,547 cases in 2023.Capital Current+1
In the first half of 2025, reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) went up by 9% compared to the same time in 2024.Ottawa Police
About 80% of victims are women, and around 29% of the incidents involve people between the ages of 18 and 29.Ottawa Police+1
The OPS has described this situation as an “epidemic,” mentioning that there are usually 18 calls every day about violence between partners. Capital Current
This unnoticed crisis has serious consequences: it not only harms the victims directly, but also impacts their families, neighborhoods, and overall trust in public safety.
Mixed Signals: Shooting Rates Down, but Homicides & Severity Up
In some ways, the crime situation in Ottawa isn't all bad. The 2024 OPS Annual Report showed that shootings went down by 27%. There were 73 shootings in 2023, but that number dropped to 53 in 2024. CityNews Ottawa+1 Vehicle thefts also dropped in 2024 by about 21 %. Ottawa Police+1
However, the overall "crime severity index" (CSI) for Ottawa went up by 2% to 55 in 2024. This increase was mainly due to more property crimes, while violent crime levels stayed mostly the same. rideau-rockcliffe.ca+1
Homicides? In 2024, there were 21 cases, leading to 26 victims. This is a significant increase compared to past years. Ottawa Police+1
Although some serious types of violence and crime might be decreasing, a rise in thefts, more calls about intimate partner violence (IPV), and a general feeling of chaos are making people feel more uneasy.
The Feel vs. the Stats: Why Things Feel Worse
It’s interesting to see the difference between what people think and what the data shows. A national report from Statistics Canada found that crime severity in Canada decreased by 4% in 2024. CP24+1
Many people living in Ottawa feel less safe in some neighborhoods. For example, witnessing theft or seeing strange behavior on the street can greatly affect how safe someone feels, even if overall violent crime rates haven't gone up significantly. Experts in sociology suggest that seeing signs of disorder, like drug use, begging, or public drinking, can make people feel more threatened than the actual crime statistics show.
As one academic observed:
“If you go down the street and you see somebody yelling and screaming, and you see people smoking crack, that may not represent any kind of violent crime, but it feels less safe to people.” CityNews Ottawa
So, it's not only about how many crimes happen, but also about how people feel about them and how they group together in certain neighborhoods that is important.
The Road Ahead
Ottawa is a lively and diverse city, and its crime rates don’t show it is falling apart. However, they do highlight growing challenges. The increase in thefts, rise in violence between partners, pressure on police resources, and the feeling of disorder in some areas indicate that there are bigger issues to tackle.
Residents, community leaders, and decision-makers will need to work together to address these problems. A city's safety is not just about the number of crimes; it's also about how secure people feel in their homes, neighborhoods, and everyday lives.
In 2025, Ottawa needs to pay attention not only to crime statistics but also to the real experiences of its residents. If not, even small increases in crime could lead to bigger problems in the future.