North Cowichan Crime Statistics
British Columbia · Statistics Canada 2025 · updated 2026-10-13
CrimeMaps has no incident-level map for North Cowichan: its police service does not publish open incident data. These are the official annual police-reported statistics from Statistics Canada.
| 2025 incidents | 3,108 (down 7.6% vs 2024) |
|---|---|
| Rate per 100,000 | 9,002.2 (population 34,530) |
| Violent incidents | 838 (2,427.2 per 100K) |
| Property incidents | 1,454 (4,211.4 per 100K) |
| Crime Severity Index 2025 | 101.4 (violent 144.4) |
| Cleared by police | 32.1% |
| vs British Columbia | 17.8% higher rate (7,642.5 per 100K) |
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported incidents (Uniform Crime Reporting Survey), North Cowichan RCMP. Annual figures; 2025 is the latest published year.
Year by year
| Year | Incidents | Per 100K | Violent | Property | CSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,108 | 9,002.2 | 838 | 1,454 | 101.4 |
| 2024 | 3,365 | 9,840.3 | 937 | 1,534 | 92.8 |
| 2023 | 3,218 | 9,566.9 | 793 | 1,599 | 102.9 |
| 2022 | 3,154 | 9,400.0 | 664 | 1,562 | 99.2 |
| 2021 | 2,831 | 8,556.2 | 618 | 1,367 | 93.2 |
| 2020 | 3,603 | 11,045.0 | 707 | 1,599 | 106.8 |
| 2019 | 4,155 | 12,899.7 | 752 | 2,031 | 127.4 |
| 2018 | 2,772 | 8,686.4 | 474 | 1,601 | 94.2 |
| 2017 | 2,557 | 8,170.6 | 359 | 1,569 | 79.9 |
| 2016 | 2,926 | 9,508.6 | 426 | 1,631 | 102.4 |
Offences in 2025
| Offence | Incidents | Per 100K | vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mischief | 691 | 2,001.5 | down 3.6% |
| Assault | 485 | 1,404.8 | down 9.0% |
| Theft (non-vehicle) | 409 | 1,184.7 | down 10.3% |
| Impaired driving | 161 | 466.3 | down 14.4% |
| Fraud and identity crime | 156 | 451.9 | down 1.9% |
| Shoplifting | 144 | 417.1 | down 9.4% |
| Drug violations | 138 | 399.7 | up 30.2% |
| Break and enter | 114 | 330.2 | up 6.5% |
| Theft from vehicle | 62 | 179.6 | down 6.1% |
| Sexual assault | 50 | 144.8 | up 4.2% |
| Weapons violations | 35 | 101.4 | down 23.9% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 30 | 86.9 | down 23.1% |
| Robbery | 20 | 57.9 | up 122.2% |
| Homicide | 2 | 5.8 |
North Cowichan crime overview
Essay updated 2026-10-04 · figures above are Statistics Canada 2025
TL;DR. North Cowichan recorded 3,108 incidents in 2025, at a rate of 9,002.2 per 100,000 population. The total fell 7.6% from 3,365 in 2024. The most common offence was mischief with 691 incidents.
About this data
North Cowichan is policed by the North Cowichan RCMP detachment, with official annual figures reported by Statistics Canada through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey of police-reported incidents. Police-reported means incidents that came to police attention, and not every offence is reported. In the latest year, 2025, there were 3,108 incidents, at a rate of 9,002.2 per 100,000 population. That rate is based on a population of 34,530.
Recent trend
Total incidents fell 7.6% from 3,365 in 2024 to 3,108 in 2025. Since 2016, when there were 2,926 incidents, the total rose 6.2%, while the rate per 100,000 population fell 5.3%. The peak in 2016–2025 was 4,155 incidents in 2019, and the lowest was 2,557 incidents in 2017. Violent incidents fell 10.6% compared with 2024. Property incidents fell 5.2% compared with 2024.
Category breakdown
The most reported offences in 2025 were mischief with 691 incidents accounting for 22.2% of the total, down from 717 after it fell 3.6%, and assault with 485 incidents accounting for 15.6% of the total, down from 533 after it fell 9%. Theft (non-vehicle) recorded 409 incidents accounting for 13.2% of the total, down from 456 after it fell 10.3%, while impaired driving recorded 161 incidents accounting for 5.2% of the total, down from 188 after it fell 14.4%. Fraud and identity crime recorded 156 incidents accounting for 5% of the total, down from 159 after it fell 1.9%, and uttering threats and shoplifting each recorded 144 incidents accounting for 4.6% of the total, with uttering threats down from 180 after it fell 20% and shoplifting down from 159 after it fell 9.4%. Drug violations recorded 138 incidents accounting for 4.4% of the total, up from 106 after it rose 30.2%. Violent incidents totalled 838, or 27% of the total, and property incidents totalled 1,454, or 46.8% of the total, with a Crime Severity Index of 101.38 and a violent Crime Severity Index of 144.4 in 2025, where the Index weights offences by seriousness.
What this means
In 2025, North Cowichan's total rate per 100,000 population of 9,002.2 was 17.8% higher than British Columbia's 7,642.5, with a violent rate per 100,000 population of 2,427.2 that was 58.6% higher than the provincial 1,530.8 and a property rate per 100,000 population of 4,211.4 that was 9.7% higher than the provincial 3,838.6. These annual police-reported figures reflect only incidents that came to police attention and can shift with reporting practices, so they do not capture unreported offences. They also do not show where incidents occurred within the city. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July, so the latest year remains the most recent annual release.
FAQ
What is the crime rate in North Cowichan?
In the latest year, 2025, the North Cowichan RCMP detachment reported 3,108 incidents, for a total rate of 9,002.2 per 100,000 population. That included 838 violent incidents at a rate of 2,427.2 per 100,000 population and 1,454 property incidents at a rate of 4,211.4 per 100,000 population. Violent incidents were 27% of the total and property incidents were 46.8% of the total.
Is crime going up or down in North Cowichan?
Total incidents fell 7.6% from 3,365 in 2024 to 3,108 in 2025. Violent incidents fell 10.6% and property incidents fell 5.2% over the same period. Since 2016, when the total was 2,926, total incidents rose 6.2%, with a peak of 4,155 in 2019 and a low of 2,557 in 2017.
What is the most common crime in North Cowichan?
In 2025, mischief was the most-recorded offence with 691 incidents, or 22.2% of the total, at a rate of 2,001.5 per 100,000 population. It was followed by assault with 485 incidents and theft (non-vehicle) with 409 incidents. Mischief fell 3.6% from 717 in 2024, while drug violations rose 30.2% from 106 in 2024 to 138 in 2025.
How does North Cowichan compare with British Columbia?
In 2025, the total rate of 9,002.2 per 100,000 population in North Cowichan compared with 7,642.5 per 100,000 population for British Columbia, a city-versus-province difference of 17.8%. The violent rate was 2,427.2 per 100,000 population compared with 1,530.8 for the province, a difference of 58.6%. The property rate was 4,211.4 per 100,000 population compared with 3,838.6 for the province, a difference of 9.7%.
Where do these numbers come from?
These are official annual statistics from Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting Survey for the North Cowichan RCMP detachment, covering 2016–2025. Police-reported means incidents that came to police attention; not every offence is reported to police. Statistics Canada publishes each year's data the following July, and the latest year here is 2025.