Strategic COVID-19 Pandemic Committee

Has the crime rate changed during public health restrictions?

COVID-19 Questions & Myths

Based on data from Statistics Canada this seems unlikely. 

During the first six months of the pandemic, seventeen police services across Canada reported that select criminal incidents were down by 17% compared with the same period a year earlier, but calls for services like wellness checks, mental health calls, and calls to attend domestic disturbances rose by 8%.

When the physical distancing measures to control the pandemic from mid-March started easing in May, and businesses, services, and public spaces gradually re-opened throughout the summer, the volume of crimes and calls for service began to rise towards normal.

Reference:
i. Selected police-reported crime and calls for service during the COVID-19 pandemic, March to August 2020, Statistics Canada

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