Cape Breton Crime Statistics
Nova Scotia · Statistics Canada 2025 · updated 2026-10-13
CrimeMaps has no incident-level map for Cape Breton: its police service does not publish open incident data. These are the official annual police-reported statistics from Statistics Canada.
| 2025 incidents | 4,048 (down 4.7% vs 2024) |
|---|---|
| Rate per 100,000 | 3,747.5 (population 108,020) |
| Violent incidents | 822 (761.0 per 100K) |
| Property incidents | 2,316 (2,144.1 per 100K) |
| Crime Severity Index 2025 | 44.2 (violent 58.5) |
| Cleared by police | 40.4% |
| vs Nova Scotia | 44.1% lower rate (6,701.7 per 100K) |
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported incidents (Uniform Crime Reporting Survey), Cape Breton Region police service. Annual figures; 2025 is the latest published year.
Year by year
| Year | Incidents | Per 100K | Violent | Property | CSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,048 | 3,747.5 | 822 | 2,316 | 44.2 |
| 2024 | 4,248 | 3,926.1 | 869 | 2,421 | 43.1 |
| 2023 | 4,534 | 4,319.8 | 963 | 2,510 | 44.8 |
| 2022 | 4,557 | 4,595.3 | 970 | 2,539 | 54.5 |
| 2021 | 4,736 | 4,876.0 | 1,039 | 2,552 | 58.8 |
| 2020 | 4,488 | 4,544.3 | 1,136 | 2,107 | 53.7 |
| 2019 | 4,413 | 4,462.2 | 868 | 2,359 | 51.4 |
| 2018 | 4,499 | 4,626.7 | 820 | 2,472 | 49.5 |
| 2017 | 4,937 | 5,095.7 | 929 | 2,803 | 58.7 |
| 2016 | 4,433 | 4,568.2 | 741 | 2,655 | 47.4 |
Offences in 2025
| Offence | Incidents | Per 100K | vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft (non-vehicle) | 1,234 | 1,142.4 | down 2.3% |
| Shoplifting | 574 | 531.4 | up 72.9% |
| Mischief | 538 | 498.1 | down 17.2% |
| Assault | 466 | 431.4 | up 2.9% |
| Fraud and identity crime | 289 | 267.6 | up 1.0% |
| Theft from vehicle | 177 | 163.9 | up 6.0% |
| Impaired driving | 108 | 100.0 | up 11.3% |
| Break and enter | 104 | 96.3 | up 10.6% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 101 | 93.5 | up 8.6% |
| Sexual assault | 64 | 59.2 | down 7.2% |
| Weapons violations | 42 | 38.9 | down 17.6% |
| Drug violations | 40 | 37.0 | down 24.5% |
| Robbery | 20 | 18.5 | down 25.9% |
| Homicide | 3 | 2.8 | unchanged |
Cape Breton crime overview
Essay updated 2026-10-04 · figures above are Statistics Canada 2025
TL;DR. In 2025, the Cape Breton Region police service reported 4,048 incidents, a rate of 3,747.5 per 100,000 population. That total fell 4.7% from 2024. The most common offence was theft (non-vehicle) with 1,234 incidents.
About this data
Cape Breton is policed by the Cape Breton Region police service. The figures on this page are official annual statistics from Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (police-reported incidents) for that police service. In 2025, the latest year, the service reported 4,048 incidents, a rate of 3,747.5 per 100,000 population. That rate is based on a population of 108,020, and police-reported means incidents that came to police attention; not every crime is reported.
Recent trend
The 4,048 incidents in 2025, the latest year, fell 4.7% from 4,248 in 2024. Since 2016, when 4,433 incidents were reported, the count fell 8.7% and the rate per 100,000 population fell 18%. Within 2016–2025, the annual total peaked in 2017 at 4,937. The lowest annual total in that period was 4,048 in 2025. From 2024 to 2025, violent incidents fell 5.4% and property incidents fell 4.3%.
Category breakdown
In 2025, violent incidents totalled 822, or 20.3% of the total, while property incidents totalled 2,316, or 57.2% of the total. The largest offence groups were theft (non-vehicle) at 1,234 incidents, or 30.5% of the total, which fell 2.3% from 1,263 in 2024, and shoplifting at 574 incidents, or 14.2%, which rose 72.9% from 332. Mischief accounted for 538 incidents, or 13.3%, falling 17.2% from 650, while assault accounted for 466 incidents, or 11.5%, rising 2.9% from 453. Fraud and identity crime at 289 incidents, or 7.1%, rose 1% from 286, theft from a vehicle at 177 incidents, or 4.4%, rose 6% from 167, uttering threats at 156 incidents, or 3.9%, fell 21.6% from 199, and impaired driving at 108 incidents, or 2.7%, rose 11.3% from 97. The crime severity index in 2025 was 44.23, with a violent crime severity index of 58.55, which weights offences by seriousness.
What this means
Cape Breton's total rate of 3,747.5 per 100,000 population was 44.1% lower than Nova Scotia's 6,701.7 per 100,000 population. Its violent rate of 761 per 100,000 population was 51.3% lower than the provincial 1,561.9, and its property rate of 2,144.1 was 39.9% lower than the provincial 3,564.7. As annual police-reported figures, these totals do not show locations within the city and reflect only incidents that came to police attention, so reporting practices can affect comparisons. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July, with 2025 as the latest year in this series.
FAQ
What is the crime rate in Cape Breton?
In the latest year, 2025, the Cape Breton Region police service reported 4,048 incidents at a rate of 3,747.5 per 100,000 population. That included 822 violent incidents at a rate of 761 per 100,000 population and 2,316 property incidents at a rate of 2,144.1 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 Cape Breton?
Total incidents fell 4.7% from 4,248 in 2024 to 4,048 in 2025, which was also the lowest total between 2016 and 2025. Violent incidents fell 5.4% and property incidents fell 4.3% compared with 2024. Since 2016, when there were 4,433 incidents, total incidents fell 8.7% and the rate fell 18%.
What is the most common crime in Cape Breton?
In 2025, theft (non-vehicle) was the most reported offence with 1,234 incidents at a rate of 1,142.4 per 100,000 population, accounting for 30.5% of total incidents. It fell 2.3% from 1,263 in 2024. The next most reported offences were shoplifting with 574 incidents and mischief with 538 incidents.
How does Cape Breton compare with Nova Scotia?
In 2025, the total rate of 3,747.5 per 100,000 population was 44.1% lower than the provincial rate of 6,701.7 per 100,000 population. The violent rate of 761 per 100,000 population was 51.3% lower than the provincial violent rate of 1,561.9 per 100,000 population. The property rate of 2,144.1 per 100,000 population was 39.9% lower than the provincial property rate of 3,564.7 per 100,000 population.
Where do these numbers come from?
These are official annual statistics from Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting Survey for the Cape Breton Region police service covering 2016–2025. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July. The Crime Severity Index in 2025 was 44.23, with a violent Crime Severity Index of 58.55, compared with 43.11 in 2024.