But overall crime severity index places Guelph as sixth safest community in Canada

Guelph continues to climb as one of the safest communities in Canada, based on reported crime.

But violent crime is a major concern, as the violent crime severity index (VCSI) saw an 18 per cent increase year-over-year, according to Statistics Canada’s annual report.

The index number came in at 77.56, the largest the violent crime severity index has been in Guelph since the statistics began being tracked in 2006.

The overall crime severity index (CSI) in 2024 was virtually unchanged in Guelph, moving up by less than half a percentage point, after dropping 6.6 per cent from 2022 to 2023.

But with the movement of cities around them, Guelph went up from eighth to sixth among census metropolitan areas.

Police are celebrating the jump to sixth, noting it as a dramatic improvement from its ranking of 19th on the list in 2018.

Cities are scored based on the volume and severity of police-reported crimes.

The non-violent crime severity index saw an 8.5 per cent drop from 2023 to 47.86. The number sits below 50 for the first time since 2015.

Guelph’s CSI and VCSI remain below both the national and provincial figure.

The CSI dropped by four per cent nationally, and dropped one per cent provincially.

The violent CSI was down one per cent nationally, and up nearly two per cent provincially.

Guelph police chief Gord Cobey said the “favourable trend in relation to the overall CSI ranking is a testament to the hard work of our members and citizens.”

“We thank our community, the Guelph Police Service Board and our Guelph city council for their ongoing support as we work to make Guelph the healthiest and safest community possible,” he said in a media release.

Guelph continues to be a safe community, new @StatCan_eng report proves: https://t.co/ikL97IbC6j #Guelph pic.twitter.com/gq7bbqSwsR


— Guelph Police Service (@GuelphPolice) August 5, 2025

He added while it’s important to acknowledge progress, focus on the work ahead is critical.

Cobey said working together with community members and making the proper investments will continue to ensure important issues are addressed locally.

“This includes the continuation of our ongoing work to address incidents of human trafficking, intimate partner violence, and Internet child exploitation in our city. Together we must work to prevent these crimes, support victims and survivors, and hold offenders accountable,” he said.

The Statistics Canada report noted some key trends across the country.

You can view the full report on the Stats Canada website.