Concerns Over Crime in Kitchener Amid Conflicting Police Reports

As Sharon Schmidt strolls along King Street in downtown Kitchener, she expresses feeling safe and at ease in her neighborhood.

Having lived there for years, she mentions she’s always felt comfortable.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “It feels completely safe for me.”

On the other hand, high school student Borislav Trifunovic believes that crime seems to be on the rise.

“It’s never been like this before,” he said. “Where I live there’s organized crime, like dealing fentanyl. It feels like an everyday thing.”

Trifunovic is concerned about crime in his area and thinks it’s growing throughout the city. (Diego Pizarro/CBC)

The differing opinions are mirrored in a new survey conducted by Toronto-based firm Liaison Strategies.

The survey revealed that many Kitchener residents surveyed are anxious about an increase in crime within the city, even though police statistics suggest otherwise.

Survey findings

The firm surveyed 800 Kitchener residents on October 22 and 23 through automated phone calls. Participants were questioned about seven different types of crimes and whether they thought each had risen.

They were also asked if they believed crime had increased across Canada over the past year.

The findings are deemed accurate within a margin of error of 3.46 percentage points, with a confidence level of 19 out of 20.

Here are some key results from the survey:

70 per cent believe that crime in Canada as a whole has increased.66 per cent believe homicides, including murder or manslaughter, have risen.68 per cent feel assaults-physical attacks without weapons-have increased.71 per cent think robberies have gone up.66 per cent believe break-and-enters into homes or businesses have increased.64 per cent think motor vehicle thefts-stolen cars or trucks-have grown more common.67 per cent believe fraud and cybercrime such as online scams or identity theft have escalated.63 per cent feel hate-motivated crimes have spiked.

The survey indicates that most Kitchener residents perceive rising crime across various areas; however, there’s a significant discrepancy between public perception and police data regarding deadly violence.

According to Waterloo Regional Police, there were five homicides recorded throughout Waterloo Region in all of 2024; by mid-October 2025, this number dropped to just two.

Even with this decrease, 66 percent of residents still believe the murder rate is increasing.

Police data also shows a reduction in shootings; there were 16 incidents between January and November of 2025 compared to 19 during the same time last year.

The ‘dark figure’ of crime

James Popham, an associate professor of criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University, explains that the gap between how people perceive safety versus reality often arises because violent crimes receive more media attention.

“That shapes how people think about safety, even if those events are actually quite rare,” he said.

Popham adds that ironically homicides serve as one clear indicator researchers can rely on since murder is nearly always reported accurately.

“We know with relatively concrete information what the actual rates of crime are for homicides,” he said.

For other offenses, however, clarity is less certain; many violent incidents go unreported to law enforcement agencies.

“The data we have mainly comes from police-reported statistics. There’s often a gap referred to as the dark figure of crime,” he said.

This “dark figure” contributes to people’s perception gaps.

“People witness acts of disorder locally-like graffiti-and it significantly affects their fear surrounding crime,” he explained.James Popham emphasizes that it’s essential to take public fears seriously-even when official police data doesn’t support them. He notes that law enforcement may focus too much on reducing fear throughout entire communities while potentially overlooking individual experiences.”It can often leave an individual feeling like they’ve been forgotten or dismissed,” he stated.(Diego Pizarro/CBC)

Popham also highlights social media’s role in shaping perceptions around criminal activity; community groups on platforms such as Facebook and Reddit can warn users about suspicious behavior but might amplify anxiety too.

“There’s insufficient moderation happening,” he pointed out.“This can cause misleading representations regarding community safety.”

Pocham says many people’s anxiety stems from seeing more individuals experiencing homelessness downtown but insists it’s not personally troubling for her.

Kitchener Police Response

Kitchener’s Chief Mark Crowell acknowledges these concerns reflected within surveys.

“We understand perception is reality for many people,” he shared during an interview.”Any single incident nearby can affect someone’s view regarding security.”

Crowell mentioned how Kitchener currently ranks fourth-highest among Ontario’s twelve largest police services concerning violent crimes.

B ut noted positive developments exist; he’s observed improvements such as a fifteen percent drop in robbery cases along with break-ins.
Crowell states motor vehicle theft remains elevated at approximately one thousand one hundred annually – above both national & provincial averages-but those numbers appear headed downward.

P olice report significant increases related fraud/cybercrime alongside rising hate-motivated offenses.

P olitics become nuanced whenever analyzing these kinds perceptions involving statistics.”, he added.

Tackling Solutions

P opham stresses again peoples fears shouldn’t simply be dismissed despite discrepancies between perceived realities versus documented evidence.;

I nstead trying tackling issues holistically ought remain crucial.

E ssential components include better lighting , neighborhood watch programs alongside visible policing presence can truly help alleviate anxieties among citizens;

S ociety tends generally feel safer when visual cues reflecting orderliness exist.”

I t does influence likelihood offending occurring respective neighborhoods./

P op ham recognizes not every solution suits everyone.”(People transition places marked corruption ; discomfort stemming patrols posed challenges.)”C rowell urges citizens consider broader trends rather than fixating solely upon annual fluctuations.

“P erception relies context; contemplating five-year patterns may reveal deeper insights pertinent our collective experience ;” //More so police continuing dialogue address community apprehensions surrounding criminal activity remains paramount/.

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