Homicide rates are also down by 16 per cent from 2024 \u2013 representing the largest year-over-year decline since 1986 and the lowest rate since 2014.<\/p>\n
Despite the downward trend, some Montrealers told CityNews that the situation on the ground is different.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really surprised because I feel like it\u2019s not that way,\u201d said one Montrealer. \u201cI feel like we\u2019re not putting money into things that show that crimes are going down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s worse,\u201d said another. \u201cI\u2019m from Ottawa, downtown, and it\u2019s pretty bad there. So, I came to Montreal to get away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some felt they do not feel a change, others said they feel reassured by the country\u2019s law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have complete confidence in public safety and in the security services provided by Canada, so I feel better and safer in this community,\u201d said another Montrealer.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CP174919257-1024x685.jpg\")
A Montreal police car is seen in Montreal on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christopher Katsarov<\/p>\n
Experts say the decrease in the crime rates seen in recent years is due to many factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re living in a post-pandemic era, so basically the nature of crime, the frequency of crime has changed,\u201d says Fo Niemi, executive director of Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other thing too is that usually there\u2019s a generational effect. As people grow older, the younger people who tend to commit crimes sometimes would commit less crime because they\u2019re getting older. That\u2019s part of the demographic trend over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concordia University associate professor Ted Rutland says the declining rate in crimes is part of a long-term trend in the country, with the exception of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had safer and safer cities over the long term,\u201d Rutland said. \u201cThere was an increase in certain kinds of crime in the aftermath of the pandemic in 2021-22 and so what we\u2019re seeing is a return to a decline, which is good news.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Fo-Niemi-2.jpg\")
CRARR executive director Fo Niemi, speaks with CityNews about what he feels may be behind Statistics Canada\u2019s recent report that found crime decreased in 2025. (CityNews)<\/p>\n
While there was an overall decline in the Crime Severity Index, certain types of crimes increased in 2025.<\/p>\n
Shoplifting shot up by 11 per cent in 2025, showing a steady increase for the fifth consecutive year and spiking up 79 per cent from 2015 to 2025.<\/p>\n
Rutland says an increase in shoplifting crimes doesn\u2019t necessarily mean there was more crime, but rather it could just mean that more people were caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to me if there was more shoplifting in a time where the cost of living is escalating,\u201d Rutland added. \u201cGovernments aren\u2019t doing much to address it and people are feeling frustrated seeing the cost of basic goods increasing week after week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niemi says statistics doesn\u2019t tell the full story.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to look at what is the nature of the crime that is going down, what\u2019s the nature of the crime that is not going down in order to address the more deep-rooted factors behind the crimes,\u201d Niemi added.<\/p>\n
In the end, Rutland says crime rates are a reflection of how well the country is working.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the society is functioning properly, then there\u2019s less violent crime. If people\u2019s needs are met, there\u2019s less property crime. And so what we\u2019ve generally seen over the last 30 years has been a society that functions relatively well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tPolice tape is shown at a crime scene in Calgary, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Groups working to help victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia say a recent string of murders of women provides just a glimpse of the extent of intimate partner violence in the province, and they say more action is needed to protect victims. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh THE CANADIAN PRESS <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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