Fewer Police, More Crime: Winnipeg’s Dangerous Math

I’ve been making the same case for years, not out of emotion or political gain, but based on facts: Winnipeg needs more police officers. When I chaired the Winnipeg Police Board, I raised the issue repeatedly. When I sat on City Council, I kept saying it. And now, in 2025, the numbers are finally catching up to the argument—except the city’s political leadership still hasn’t.

We had the same number of patrol cars on the street in 2020 as we do today. However, Winnipeg is not the same city it was five years ago. In 2020, our population was roughly 766,900. Today, it’s over 866,000—a 13% increase. Our geographic footprint has also grown, with new developments across the southwest, CentrePort, and Waverley West. The workload for frontline officers has exploded, but the resources haven’t.

This isn’t just anecdotal. It’s a failure of planning.

According to Statistics Canada, there were 71,472 police officers in Canada in 2023, up slightly from 2022. But despite that increase, we now have fewer officers per capita than we did the year before. In fact, 2023 saw the lowest police-to-population ratio since 1970—just 178 officers per 100,000 residents. Manitoba falls slightly below the national average at 176 per 100,000.

Winnipeg? We’re worse. The latest data shows we have 167.5 officers per 100,000 people compared to 196.7 in 2016. As crime has surged, our per capita officer count has dropped by nearly 30 officers per 100,000 people.

Let that sink in. We’ve, in essence, cut police coverage in a city that already leads the country in violent crime rates. And we expect better results.

Between 2013 and 2023, Winnipeg’s population jumped by over 17%. Over the same period, our police-to-population ratio dropped by 6.6%. Meanwhile, our crime rate remains the highest among major Canadian cities. The logic doesn’t hold. It’s not about emotion. It’s about arithmetic. A growing city needs growing services—police included.

Policing is expensive. The Winnipeg Police Service receives about a quarter of the city’s operating budget. But the conversation shouldn’t end there. If our population continues to grow—and city revenues grow with it—why aren’t we matching that growth with better service levels? This isn’t a funding issue. It’s poor fiscal management.

Our new police chief, Gene Bowers, has said downtown safety is one of his top priorities. That’s good. But it’s going to take more than good intentions. It takes officers on foot, in cars, in neighbourhoods, day and night. What’s concerning is that, according to Sun sources, budgets and resource allocation were barely addressed during the hiring process for the new chief. That’s not just a missed opportunity—it’s a dangerous oversight.

Another issue we continue to ignore is the underrepresentation of women in our police force. Across Canada, 22.87% of police officers are women. In Winnipeg, it’s only 16.2%. That number has barely moved in decades. Why?

Why aren’t more women applying? What barriers still exist in recruitment, training, or workplace culture? And why isn’t anyone in authority treating this like the crisis it is?

This isn’t just about representation. It’s about strengthening the service, bringing in new perspectives, and building trust in the community. But nothing will change unless we admit we’ve failed to address it and take definitive action to fix it.

The city isn’t getting safer. We’re just getting better at pretending everything’s fine. Long wait times in hospitals. Long wait times for police to respond. These are symptoms of a city whose services no longer match its size or needs. Public safety has become a crisis we’ve learned to ignore.

We’ve sounded the alarms. Over and over again. But it’s like no one’s listening.

What has to happen before the powers that be finally do the right thing? How many more crimes? How many more families are left waiting for help that doesn’t come? How many more headlines before someone at City Hall steps up?

The mayor and council have had ample time to act. Instead, they have directed blame at other levels of government while neglecting to manage what is within their control. Police staffing is a municipal responsibility. It lies squarely on their shoulders. And they have dropped the ball.

There’s no more room for excuses. Winnipeg’s population is growing. Our tax base is growing. The money is there. What’s missing is the political will to prioritize safety over spin.

This city doesn’t need another working group or public consultation. It needs more officers and leadership willing to make hard choices, and it needs them now.

Because if we keep ignoring this problem, it won’t go away—it will get worse.