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Ottawa crime in 2022

Ottawa recorded 35,695 reported incidents in 2022, up 16.1% from 30,736 in 2021. Theft led with 12,521 incidents, followed by assault at 6,635 and fraud at 4,925. The Other category totalled 3,531, classified as Other crime; mischief and break and enter followed at 3,303 and 2,700. The year ranked 4th among 9 years; its total is 11.6% of the archive's 306,637 incidents. These are incident counts, not crime rates.

35,695
Incidents in 2022
11.6%
Share of selected city data
4 of 9
Rank among years
Theft
Top category
12,521 incidents
+16.1%
Year-over-year
vs 2021

Category mix in 2022

Theft 12,521
35.1% of 2022 incidents
Assault 6,635
18.6% of 2022 incidents
Fraud 4,925
13.8% of 2022 incidents
Other 3,531
9.9% of 2022 incidents
Mischief 3,303
9.3% of 2022 incidents
7.6% of 2022 incidents

Ottawa crime 2022

In 2022, Ottawa recorded 35,695 total open-data incidents across all tracked categories, representing a 16.1% increase from the 30,736 incidents logged in 2021. These totals account for 11.6% of the 306,637 incidents documented across the full multi-year municipal archive. Note that these annual totals reflect official reported incident counts rather than per-capita risk or overall crime rates.

This summary outlines the complete 2022 police open-data release for Ottawa, Ontario. It details category breakdowns led by Theft, Assault, and Fraud, evaluates year-over-year changes, and places 2022 within the broader multi-year dataset spanning from 2018 through 2026. Readers can explore category metrics and historical patterns for local context.

Year-over-year

Comparing 2022 to the previous year, Ottawa saw an increase of 16.1% in reported incidents, moving from 30,736 incidents in 2021 to 35,695 incidents in 2022. This upward movement followed the lower count logged in 2020 (29,393 incidents) and surpassed the 2019 level of 35,558 incidents. The 2022 total represented 11.6% of the 306,637 total incidents logged in the city's overall dataset archive. Among all recorded calendar years in the dataset, 2022 ranks 4th in total volume, behind 2023, 2024, and 2025. Annual figures reflect logged open-data incidents rather than changes in per-capita risk.

Key stats

What these numbers mean

In 2022, Ottawa's annual count of 35,695 incidents rebounded past its 2019 pre-pandemic mark of 35,558, driven heavily by 12,521 Theft incidents which formed the single largest category. Fraud recorded 4,925 incidents, surpassing Other offences (3,531) and Mischief (3,303). Ranking 4th out of 9 years in the city series, 2022 marked a transition period between the lower volume of 2020–2021 and the higher figures observed in 2023 through 2025.

About this dataset

Frequently asked questions about Ottawa crime in 2022

How many total incidents were reported in Ottawa in 2022?

Ottawa recorded 35,695 total open-data incidents in 2022. This annual count represented 11.6% of the 306,637 total incidents logged across the city's multi-year dataset spanning 2018 to 2026. The 2022 total includes all tracked categories published in the official municipal release.

How did Ottawa's 2022 incident numbers compare to 2021?

Incident numbers in Ottawa increased by 16.1% in 2022 compared to 2021. The city recorded 35,695 incidents in 2022, up from 30,736 incidents in 2021. Overall, 2022 ranked 4th in incident volume among the 9 recorded years in Ottawa's dataset series.

What were the top offence categories in Ottawa during 2022?

Theft was the most frequent category in Ottawa during 2022, accounting for 12,521 incidents. Assault ranked second with 6,635 incidents, followed by Fraud with 4,925 incidents. Other crime recorded 3,531 incidents, while Mischief stood at 3,303 and Break and enter at 2,700.

Where do the 2022 Ottawa crime data figures come from?

These figures are sourced directly from official municipal open data published for Ottawa, ON. The dataset includes 306,637 total records across all years, with 35,695 incidents specifically documented in 2022. Figures represent official reported incidents rather than unverified reports or calculated rates.

Sources

Data is sourced from official municipal open-data records published for Ottawa, ON.

CrimeMaps.ca is an interactive crime map of Canada, aggregating open crime incidents from Canadian cities, regions, and census places on official police and municipal open-data portals. Hundreds of mapped places; dedicated city pages for major centres. No account is required.

Visit the national crime map overview or the interactive crime map.