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Ottawa crime in 2021

Ottawa recorded 30,736 reported incidents in 2021, up 4.6% from 29,393 in 2020. Theft led with 9,876 incidents, ahead of assault (6,084), fraud (5,019), Other crime (3,360), and mischief (3,060). Break and enter added 2,259. The 2021 count represented 10% of Ottawa's 306,413-record archive and ranked 7th of 9 archived years. It was below 2019's 35,558 but above 2020's 29,393. Year totals reflect reporting, not per-capita risk.

30,736
Incidents in 2021
10%
Share of selected city data
7 of 9
Rank among years
Theft
Top category
9,876 incidents
+4.6%
Year-over-year
vs 2020

Category mix in 2021

Theft 9,876
32.1% of 2021 incidents
Assault 6,084
19.8% of 2021 incidents
Fraud 5,019
16.3% of 2021 incidents
Other 3,360
10.9% of 2021 incidents
Mischief 3,060
10% of 2021 incidents
7.3% of 2021 incidents

Ottawa crime 2021

In 2021, Ottawa, Ontario recorded 30,736 total incidents in the municipal open-data archive, representing a 4.6% increase from the 29,393 incidents logged in 2020. This annual figure accounts for 10% of the 306,413 total incidents recorded across all years in Ottawa's full archive. These annual totals reflect reported incidents in official datasets rather than per-capita risk.

This page provides a detailed breakdown of reported police incidents across Ottawa throughout 2021. It examines top incident categories including Theft, Assault, Fraud, Other crime, Mischief, and Break and enter. Readers can explore category breakdowns, review year-over-year changes, and examine how 2021 figures fit into Ottawa's broader multi-year records.

Year-over-year

Ottawa recorded 30,736 incidents in 2021 compared to 29,393 incidents in 2020, representing an increase of 4.6%. The 2021 total ranks 7th out of 9 total years tracked in the city archive dataset. Theft led all categories in 2021 with 9,876 recorded incidents, followed by Assault with 6,084 incidents and Fraud with 5,019 incidents. Other offences accounted for 3,360 incidents, while Mischief registered 3,060 incidents and Break and enter totaled 2,259 incidents. Year totals indicate annual reported volume changes across Ottawa rather than individual per-capita risk.

Key stats

What these numbers mean

In 2021, Ottawa logged 30,736 incidents, placing it 7th among the 9 years recorded in the city series. Property offences were prominent, with Theft leading at 9,876 incidents, while Fraud recorded 5,019 incidents—exceeding Mischief at 3,060 and Break and enter at 2,259. Assault remained the primary person offence at 6,084 incidents. Additionally, the Other category comprised 3,360 incidents, which were entirely categorized under Other crime according to the 2021 calendar-year breakdown.

About this dataset

Frequently asked questions about Ottawa crime in 2021

How many total incidents were reported in Ottawa in 2021?

Ottawa recorded 30,736 total incidents in 2021. This annual volume represents 10% of the 306,413 incidents logged across all years in Ottawa's open-data archive. The 2021 count placed the year 7th out of 9 total years tracked in the city's historical dataset.

Did reported incident counts in Ottawa increase or decrease in 2021?

Reported incidents in Ottawa increased by 4.6% in 2021 compared to 2020. Ottawa logged 30,736 incidents in 2021, up from 29,393 incidents in the previous calendar year. Year-over-year comparisons reflect reporting changes in official open datasets rather than measures of per-capita risk.

What were the leading incident categories in Ottawa during 2021?

Theft was the single largest category in Ottawa during 2021, with 9,876 reported incidents. Assault followed with 6,084 incidents, while Fraud recorded 5,019 incidents. Other category offences logged 3,360 incidents, Mischief registered 3,060, and Break and enter recorded 2,259 incidents.

What is the data source for Ottawa's 2021 incident numbers?

The numbers for Ottawa's 2021 records are drawn directly from open-data publications provided for the province of ON. The dataset includes 30,736 recorded incidents for 2021 and forms part of an overall city archive containing 306,413 incidents across 9 recorded years.

Sources

Data for Ottawa is sourced from municipal open-data portals published for the province of 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.

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