Despite a 5.1% increase in calls for service in the past year, the analysis reflects an overall 2.5% reduction in the city’s crime rate, and a 3.5% decrease in crime severity. The 2024 crime rate was the lowest Edmonton has seen in over a decade, in part due to initiatives like Safer Public Spaces, the approach to encampments, and the Guns and Gangs Strategy. A major victory for Edmonton in 2024 was the 47% decrease in shootings compared to a 2023 marked by gun violence.
Another notable finding in 2024 was a 3.1% increase in calls for service generated by police officers themselves, demonstrating increased focus on and capacity to engage in proactive policing on transit and in other public spaces.
Statement from Chief Dale McFee:
We’ve come out of 2024 with the lowest crime rate in a decade. Our strategic efforts to balance enforcement with support, our Community Safety Teams, High Risk Encampment Teams, and our work to help get the Navigation Centre up and running are all allowing police to be more responsive and address challenges before they escalate into larger issues. The stability we have built in our organization has given us the ability to better plan resources to bolster our front lines, so they can do more proactive work to get ahead of issues.
However, we continue to hear from our community about the disorder they are seeing every day in their neighbourhoods and the ways in which it impacts how safe people feel. While police are at the forefront of dealing with these challenges, we know we do not address them alone. How we tackle the broader issues of disorder in our city fundamentally underpins how safe people feel in our communities, and we all need to address this.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2024 YEAR-END CRIME ANALYSIS
Calls for service:
Edmonton’s total calls for service increased by 5.1% between 2023 and 2024, a difference of 9,402 calls.
Table 1 – Calls for service
Public and officer-generated calls for service:
2024 data shows that police are increasing proactive work, with police officers generating 14.4% of calls for service. This is a 3.1% increase from the previous year, and a 4.6% increase compared to 2019.
Table 2 – Public and officer-generated calls for service
LRT and transit centres:
The average crime severity at LRT Stations/Transit Centres deceased by 6% in 2024. Calls for service to LRT Stations and Transit Centres increased by 12%. One driver of the increase in calls for service to LRT Stations and Transit Centres is an increase in officer-generated calls for service due to the increased presence of TRACS (Transit and Community Safety) teams.
Table 3 – Calls for service and crime severity at LRT and transit centres
Criminal Incidents:
The total number of city-wide criminal incidents decreased by 2.5% in 2024.
Violent criminal incidents:
The total number of city-wide violent criminal incidents increased by 1.8% in 2024.
Table 4 – Edmonton’s criminal and violent incidents
Violent criminal incidents involving weapons:
Violent criminal incidents involving the presence or use of the most common weapons decreased slightly by 1% in 2024. Firearm and caustic spray incidents decreased, while knife incidents saw a slight increase.
Table 5 –Edmonton’s criminal incidents involving weapons
Domestic violence occurrences:
Domestic violence occurrences decreased by 3.1% in 2024. Since 2019, domestic violence has increased by 10.7%. (“Domestic violence” here refers specifically to intimate partner violence.)
Table 6 – Domestic violence occurrences
Crime severity:
Citywide average crime severity deceased by 3.5% in 2024.
Table 7 – crime severity
Crime rate:
Edmonton’s total crime rate city-wide decreased by 2.5% in 2024. This is the lowest crime rate Edmonton has seen in more than a decade.
Table 8 – Edmonton’s total crime rate per 100,000 people