Shooting rates are up, general crime is down in Edmonton
By Dylan Weinert on October 31, 2025
Edmonton Police released a report that shows Edmonton’s current crime rates are down six per cent compared to last year, but shootings are up. In 2024, Edmonton saw 92 shootings. So far in 2025, there have been 102, an 11 per cent increase.
The Edmonton Police Service have seized a total of 563 so far this year, fewer than last year’s 601 firearms.
A local criminologist believes that there is a way that police can reduce gun violence that has been successful in the past.
“The Edmonton Police need to start using evidence-based practices. One thing for gun violence is called ‘focused deterrence’, and it was used in the Boston ceasefire project to reduce gun violence by 60 per cent,” said Dan Jones, Chair, Justice Studies, NorQuest College.
Jones believes that police have been less responsive this past year, and people are waiting a lengthy amount of time after calling 911. He believes this leads to the public being less apathetic towards the police because they believe they are less responsive in communities.
“I know they have brought back Compstat. Compstat is a failed American experiment on crime reduction. It focuses on the statistics of crime and how they are solving crimes rather than looking to deterring the crimes.”
Jones believes if the Edmonton Police Service does not start focusing more on deterrence, Edmonton will continue to have high crime rates.