Nelson Crime Statistics
British Columbia · Statistics Canada 2025 · updated 2026-10-13
CrimeMaps has no incident-level map for Nelson: its police service does not publish open incident data. These are the official annual police-reported statistics from Statistics Canada.
| 2025 incidents | 930 (down 21.8% vs 2024) |
|---|---|
| Rate per 100,000 | 7,669.5 (population 12,130) |
| Violent incidents | 202 (1,665.8 per 100K) |
| Property incidents | 588 (4,849.1 per 100K) |
| Crime Severity Index 2025 | 82.6 (violent 93.9) |
| Cleared by police | 35.3% |
| vs British Columbia | 0.4% higher rate (7,642.5 per 100K) |
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported incidents (Uniform Crime Reporting Survey), Nelson police service. Annual figures; 2025 is the latest published year.
Year by year
| Year | Incidents | Per 100K | Violent | Property | CSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 930 | 7,669.5 | 202 | 588 | 82.6 |
| 2024 | 1,189 | 9,818.3 | 254 | 809 | 112.0 |
| 2023 | 1,160 | 9,736.4 | 219 | 806 | 106.5 |
| 2022 | 1,040 | 8,977.1 | 240 | 560 | 88.7 |
| 2021 | 856 | 7,388.2 | 152 | 477 | 72.9 |
| 2020 | 1,035 | 8,971.1 | 152 | 608 | 84.0 |
| 2019 | 966 | 8,394.2 | 154 | 537 | 87.1 |
| 2018 | 952 | 8,422.5 | 138 | 450 | 73.2 |
| 2017 | 1,081 | 9,741.4 | 188 | 499 | 85.1 |
| 2016 | 1,086 | 9,882.6 | 178 | 557 | 80.8 |
Offences in 2025
| Offence | Incidents | Per 100K | vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft (non-vehicle) | 284 | 2,342.1 | down 27.4% |
| Mischief | 181 | 1,492.7 | down 21.3% |
| Shoplifting | 113 | 931.9 | down 37.6% |
| Assault | 100 | 824.7 | down 21.9% |
| Fraud and identity crime | 67 | 552.5 | down 8.2% |
| Theft from vehicle | 54 | 445.3 | up 8.0% |
| Break and enter | 40 | 329.9 | down 47.4% |
| Impaired driving | 22 | 181.4 | down 15.4% |
| Sexual assault | 19 | 156.7 | down 9.5% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 9 | 74.2 | down 66.7% |
| Drug violations | 9 | 74.2 | up 125.0% |
| Weapons violations | 4 | 33.0 | down 50.0% |
| Robbery | 1 | 8.2 | down 83.3% |
Nelson crime overview
Essay updated 2026-10-04 · figures above are Statistics Canada 2025
TL;DR. Nelson police service recorded 930 incidents in 2025, a rate of 7,669.5 per 100,000 population. Total incidents fell 21.8% from 2024. The most common offence was theft (non-vehicle) with 284 incidents, 30.5% of the total.
About this data
Nelson is policed by the Nelson police service, and the figures on this page are official annual statistics from Statistics Canada based on police-reported incidents. In the latest year, 2025, there were 930 incidents at a rate of 7,669.5 per 100,000 population. The rate uses a population of 12,130. Police-reported means incidents that came to police attention; not every crime is reported.
Recent trend
Total incidents fell 21.8% from 1,189 in 2024 to 930 in 2025. Since 2016, when there were 1,086 incidents, total incidents fell 14.4% and the rate per 100,000 population fell 22.4%. The peak in 2016 to 2025 was 1,189 incidents in 2024, and the lowest was 856 incidents in 2021. Violent incidents fell 20.5% compared with 2024. Property incidents fell 27.3% compared with 2024.
Category breakdown
Violent incidents totalled 202, or 21.7% of total, while property incidents totalled 588, or 63.2% of total. The most common offences were theft (non-vehicle) with 284 incidents, or 30.5% of total, which fell 27.4% from 391 in 2024, and mischief with 181 incidents, or 19.5% of total, which fell 21.3% from 230 in 2024. Shoplifting totalled 113 incidents, or 12.2% of total, which fell 37.6% from 181 in 2024, and assault totalled 100 incidents, or 10.8% of total, which fell 21.9% from 128 in 2024. Fraud and identity crime totalled 67 incidents, or 7.2% of total, which fell 8.2% from 73 in 2024; theft from a vehicle totalled 54 incidents, or 5.8% of total, which rose 8% from 50 in 2024; break and enter totalled 40 incidents, or 4.3% of total, which fell 47.4% from 76 in 2024; and uttering threats totalled 38 incidents, or 4.1% of total, which fell 7.3% from 41 in 2024. In 2025, the Crime Severity Index was 82.6 and the violent Crime Severity Index was 93.91, where the CSI weights offences by seriousness.
What this means
Nelson's total rate of 7,669.5 per 100,000 population was 0.4% higher than British Columbia's 7,642.5 per 100,000 population. The violent rate of 1,665.8 per 100,000 population was 8.8% higher than the provincial rate of 1,530.8 per 100,000 population, and the property rate of 4,849.1 per 100,000 population was 26.3% higher than the provincial rate of 3,838.6 per 100,000 population. These annual figures describe the Nelson police service as a whole and do not show locations within the city, and differences can reflect reporting as well as occurrence. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July, so 2025 is the latest year available.
FAQ
What is the crime rate in Nelson?
In 2025, the latest year, the Nelson police service reported 930 incidents at a rate of 7,669.5 per 100,000 population. Of those, 202 were violent incidents at a rate of 1,665.8 per 100,000 population, and 588 were property incidents at a rate of 4,849.1 per 100,000 population. Police-reported means incidents that came to police attention; not every crime is reported.
Is crime going up or down in Nelson?
Total incidents fell 21.8% from 1,189 in 2024 to 930 in 2025, the latest year. Violent incidents fell 20.5% and property incidents fell 27.3% over the same period. Since 2016, when 1,086 incidents were reported, total incidents fell 14.4%, with a peak of 1,189 in 2024 and a low of 856 in 2021.
What is the most common crime in Nelson?
In 2025, theft (non-vehicle) was the most reported offence with 284 incidents, accounting for 30.5% of total incidents, at a rate of 2,342.1 per 100,000 population. That count fell 27.4% from 391 in 2024. The next most reported offences were mischief with 181 incidents and shoplifting with 113 incidents.
How does Nelson compare with British Columbia?
In 2025, Nelson had a total rate of 7,669.5 per 100,000 population compared with 7,642.5 per 100,000 population for British Columbia, a difference of 0.4%. The violent rate was 1,665.8 per 100,000 population compared with 1,530.8 per 100,000 population provincially. The property rate was 4,849.1 per 100,000 population compared with 3,838.6 per 100,000 population provincially, with differences of 8.8% for violent crime and 26.3% for property crime.
Where do these numbers come from?
These are official annual statistics from Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, for the Nelson police service covering 2016–2025. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July, with 2025 as the latest year. The Crime Severity Index for 2025 was 82.6, including a violent Crime Severity Index of 93.91, compared with 112.03 in 2024.