The justice minister from Manitoba states that the outcomes of the yearly report from the Winnipeg Police Service indicate the effectiveness of the province’s public safety initiatives.
Matt Wiebe stated on Wednesday that the 2024 report — indicating a decline in both violent crime and crime severity — highlights some of the advancements achieved up until now.
“We Manitobans understand that genuine transformation can only be achieved by tackling crime and its root causes,” stated Wiebe.
Thanks to our ongoing investments in frontline resources, working closely with community partners and the WPS, we’re observing declines in both violent crimes and overall crime severity in Winnipeg.
“We have more work to do in Winnipeg and across the province to continue making our communities safer and we will continue to do that important work across our government.”
Wiebe highlighted decreases in youth violence and knife crimes, along with the addition of 12 new provincial officers funded last year —with further additions expected in the summer and fall—as positive developments.
“Our investments in the retail crime initiative and enhanced visibility in critical locations have led to a higher number of arrests and improved security for both businesses and customers,” stated Wiebe.
The WPS (Winnipeg Police Service) keeps on doing an excellent job of ensuring the safety of Winnipeg residents, and we will keep collaborating with them to guarantee that everybody, regardless of their location, feels secure in their neighborhood.
The 2024 report says violent crime is down for the first time in four years, with a 1.5 per cent drop in crimes including assault, sexual assault and robbery.
Property crimes were also down about two per cent, hitting their lowest numbers since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Certain statistics, nonetheless, are showing an upward trend. According to police data analyst David Bowman, incidents of shoplifting have surged by 40 percent.
“Even as instances of shoplifting soar to record highs, the percentage of these events turning violent is decreasing,” Bowman stated.
“Commercial robberies plateaued in 2024, with incidents involving knives down 24 per cent … and incidents involving youth down 26 per cent.”
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Police said they responded to more than 770,000 total calls last year — about 2,000 each day — which represents a 12.6 per cent increase over the five-year average.
Well-being checks remain the top call for the fifth consecutive year, with domestic events, disturbances, and family trouble also making up significant proportions of the police call volume.
Bowman said the number of cybercrimes reported to police has also more than tripled year-over-year.
“In 2024, most cybercrimes involved fraud, with child pornography and extortion following closely behind,” he stated.
In the realm of severe cybercrimes such as extortion, making threats, and sexual offenses, the typical victim was 20 years old. Notably, the age at which individuals were most often targeted was merely 15 years old.
Police Chief Gene Bowers stated that although this change in statistics does not signify a win, it most definitely marks a move in a favorable direction.
“We have joined forces with the provincial government, municipal authorities, local communities, entities such as DCSP, our community safety team, law enforcement, and Indigenous leadership groups to collectively tackle crime reduction in our city, particularly focusing on our downtown area,” he stated.
Video: In March 2025, there was a notable rise in criminal activities among young people in Winnipeg.
