Crime stats down across board so far in 2025, Toronto chief tells police board
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Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw says crime statistics are down across the board.
Speaking to the Toronto Police Service Board on Wednesday, Demkiw said auto thefts have decreased so far this year by nearly 39%, home invasions by 42% with 33 fewer incidents, homicides by 67% (11 compared to 33 at this time last year) and shootings by 46% for a total of 85, which is 73 fewer than at this time last year.
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Demkiw also said nearly 323 arrests have been made related to firearms.
Meanwhile, Toronto Police chief Supt. Mandeep Mann said police response times have also decreased.
Mann said at this time last year, police had a priority 1 average response time of 18.1 minutes, but it has been consistently holding at about 13 minutes or lower for the first four months of the year.
HATE CRIMES JUMPED AGAIN IN 2024
The 2024 Toronto Police Annual Hate Crime Report, however, said reported hated crimes increased by 19% last year for a total of 443 compared to 372 in 2023.
Still, this marks a slower rate of increase than the 46% jump police reported between 2022 and 2023 — a total of 246 in 2022 and then 372 in 2023.
The report also showed an 84% increase in the number of individuals charged with hate-motivated offences compared to the year before. In total, 115 people were charged in 2024, up from 63 in 2023.
So far in 2025, there has been a 47% decrease in reported hate crimes compared to the same time last year.
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Also of note, 209 hate-motivated criminal charges were laid in 2024 — a 34% increase from the 156 charges laid in 2023. Public streets and transit were the most common locations for reported hate crimes with an 88% increase in incidents on public transit compared to the year before.
Religion was the leading motivating factor in 2024 followed by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity, while the most frequently targeted communities were Jewish, 2SLGBTQ+, Black and Muslim people.
The report also identified a notable increase in hate crimes targeting the South Asian community, rising from 14 in 2023 to 41 in 2024.
The data is based on hate crimes reported to Toronto Police between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024.
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