Calgary Crime Rates Fall as City Sees Big Gains in Public Safety and Community Wellbeing

CALGARY – Calgary is seeing a significant drop in crime across the board, marking a major step forward in the city's efforts to create a safer, more connected community.

Many of these improvements are thanks to The City of Calgary’s continued work on the Downtown Safety Leadership Table’s recommendations, which have led to better coordination, faster response times, and more uniformed presence on the ground.

According to newly released data, Calgary’s overall Crime Severity Index (CSI) decreased by 14.9 per cent between 2023 and 2024. The drop reflects fewer homicides, sex offences, and robberies, as targeted interventions and proactive enforcement continue to make a tangible difference.

As the city continues to invest in both enforcement and prevention, officials are optimistic the trend will continue. “This is what happens when we work together - police, transit, fire, social agencies, and most importantly, the community,” said Kay Choi, who leads The City’s Community Safety & Wellbeing Priority. “We’re seeing the results in the data, in our communities and in how Calgarians feel. Safety is no longer just a statistic; we're deeply committed to making it a shared reality.”

“We are incredibly encouraged to see a 14.9-per-cent decrease in Calgary’s CSI. This number is indicative of what we are seeing with our overall data, including significant decreases in breaks and enters, motor vehicle thefts and overall violent crimes like homicides, sexual assaults and robberies. What the data is telling us is that our efforts to increase our policing presence across the city, combined with our early-integration and intervention programs are making a difference. The key moving forward will be to continue bolstering our presence to ensure Calgarians feel safe everywhere in our city,” said Chief Katie McLellan of the Calgary Police Service.

While the statistics overwhelmingly point in the right direction, there is one increase that deserves both attention and context: hate crimes are up by 42 per cent. However, officials stress that this rise is largely due to increased reporting, not just increased incidents.

“It's encouraging that more people are stepping forward. Silence is no longer acceptable,” said Choi. “Reporting these crimes is essential if we want to address them head-on. It shows that people trust the system and expect better.”

In November 2024, The City and CPS opened a Downtown Community Counter and expanded Safety Hub, giving Calgarians a new walk-in option to report non-emergency concerns or get safety guidance in person. The hub also fosters real-time collaboration between CPS, Transit peace officers, and other safety partners.

There is a class of 23 Calgary Police Officers and 29 new Peace Officers graduating tomorrow, adding further to the numbers of boots on the ground around Calgary.

Since January 2024, The City has added:

50 new CPS officers, focused especially in the downtown core,
65 new Transit peace officers, with 45 now patrolling across the transit system at any given time.

These boots on the ground are making a real difference:

12 per cent fewer downtown safety response calls
60 per cent fewer overdose responses by Calgary Fire
And most tellingly, 75 per cent of Calgarians now say they feel safe, according to recent public surveys.

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