The Kitchener-Waterloo crime map is the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) Crime Map, a free interactive map of police calls for service across Waterloo Region that you can filter by call type and time frame. For the bigger picture, Statistics Canada’s 2025 figures put the Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo metro area’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) at 66.8, down 9% from 2024 and about 11% below the national 75.0.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Crime Severity Index by census metropolitan area (Table 35-10-0026-01) and incidents by violation (Table 35-10-0177-01). WRPS crime map and data features were checked on the Waterloo Regional Police Service website on 15 October 2026. We link to the WRPS map and data files but do not reproduce figures from them. Percentages and rankings not in the release are our own arithmetic. Updated 15 October 2026.
Key facts
- The WRPS Crime Map shows police calls for service in Waterloo Region, filtered by call type and time frame (Waterloo Regional Police Service, checked 15 October 2026).
- WRPS also publishes anonymized occurrence data for every year from 2019 to 2025 as Excel and CSV files, with call type and general location.
- The Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo census metropolitan area (CMA) had a Crime Severity Index of 66.8 in 2025, down 9% from 73.1 in 2024 (Statistics Canada, released 22 July 2026).
- Kitchener–Waterloo’s 2025 crime rate was 5,083 incidents per 100,000 people, down 5% and about 9% below Canada’s 5,585.
- Vehicle theft in Kitchener–Waterloo fell about 20% to 156 per 100,000 in 2025, below both Ontario (187) and Canada (201) (our calculation from Statistics Canada data).
What is the Kitchener-Waterloo crime map?
The Kitchener-Waterloo crime map is the WRPS Crime Map, an interactive online map published by the Waterloo Regional Police Service that shows police calls for service in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the surrounding townships. It is linked from the WRPS Statistics and Data page and from the “Crime Map” link on the WRPS website.
A call for service is any request for police attendance or action, so the map includes calls that later turn out not to be crimes. That makes it different from the Crime Severity Index, which is Statistics Canada’s annual measure of the volume and seriousness of police-reported crime, set at 100 for Canada in 2006. The map shows where police were called; the CSI shows how much crime was confirmed and how serious it was. Our Crime Severity Index explainer covers the method.
What crime data does Waterloo Regional Police publish?
Waterloo Regional Police publishes four main kinds of public crime data: the interactive Crime Map, yearly occurrence data files, yearly criminal offence summaries and zone boundary maps, according to the WRPS Statistics and Data page checked on 15 October 2026.
| WRPS resource | What it contains | Years / format |
|---|---|---|
| Crime Map | Police calls for service on an interactive map, with filters for call type and time frame | Online map |
| Occurrence data | All police-reported occurrences for the year, with call type, general location and call and service times; anonymized | 2019–2025, Excel and CSV |
| Criminal offence summaries | Year-end counts, clearance rates and notable events | 2019–2025, published with the annual report |
| Zone maps | WRPS operational boundaries | KML file for GIS software |
Few Ontario police services publish a full year of occurrence records as a downloadable file, which makes Waterloo Region one of the more open data sources in the province. WRPS notes that conclusions drawn from its data by people outside the service are not the opinion of WRPS, so treat any third-party analysis, including ours, as independent.
How do I use the Kitchener-Waterloo crime map, step by step?
- Open the WRPS Statistics and Data page and select the Crime Map.
- Zoom to the street or area you care about, for example a 10-minute walk around a home you are considering in Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge.
- Filter by call type: break-ins for a home, vehicle-related calls for parking, robbery and assault for walking routes.
- Choose a long time frame. A few weeks of calls can be misleading for a single block.
- Compare with a part of the region you already know, using the same call types and dates.
- For full-year totals, download the yearly occurrence data or read the criminal offence summary on the same page.
The same steps work in other cities; see our guide to checking crime in your neighbourhood.
What are the limits of the WRPS crime map?
The WRPS crime map shows calls for service at general locations, so it cannot tell you how much confirmed crime happened on a single street.
- Calls, not convictions. A call is recorded before police know whether a crime took place.
- General locations. WRPS says its data is anonymized, so points are approximate.
- Reported crime only. Statistics Canada found that only about 29% of victimizations in Canada were reported to police in 2019.
- Footfall. Downtown Kitchener, Uptown Waterloo, Cambridge’s cores, shopping centres, transit hubs and student areas in term time record more calls because more people pass through, not because residents face more risk.
How common are the main crime types in Kitchener-Waterloo?
Fraud and shoplifting were the most common of the property crime types below in the Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CMA in 2025, with 3,588 fraud incidents and 3,450 shoplifting incidents, according to Statistics Canada. The table uses annual Statistics Canada rates, not counts from the police map.
| Crime type | Kitchener–Waterloo incidents (2025) | Kitchener–Waterloo rate per 100,000 (2025) | Kitchener–Waterloo rate per 100,000 (2024) | Canada rate per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Criminal Code offences (excl. traffic) | 36,163 | 5,083.0 | 5,358.5 | 5,584.6 |
| Violent crime | 9,942 | 1,397.4 | n/a | 1,443.3 |
| Fraud | 3,588 | 504.3 | n/a | 426.1 |
| Shoplifting ($5,000 or under) | 3,450 | 484.9 | n/a | 501.6 |
| Break and enter | 1,782 | 250.5 | 288.2 | 262.3 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1,108 | 155.7 | 195.4 | 200.8 |
| Robbery | 328 | 46.1 | n/a | 55.1 |
| Homicide (victims) | 4 | 0.56 | n/a | 1.61 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01, Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo census metropolitan area. n/a = not available in our data set.
By our calculation, break-ins fell about 13% and vehicle theft about 20% from 2024. Reported fraud was about 18% above the national rate, so phone and online fraud and scams deserve as much attention as street crime. The break-in rate was about 33% above Ontario’s 188.8, even after the drop; see break-ins in Canada for the national picture.
Is crime in Kitchener-Waterloo going up or down?
Crime severity in Kitchener–Waterloo is going down: the Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CSI fell for the third year in a row in 2025, to 66.82, about 15% below its 2022 peak of 78.87, according to Statistics Canada data (our calculation).
| Year | Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CSI | Canada CSI |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 76.26 | 74.87 |
| 2022 | 78.87 | 78.74 |
| 2023 | 75.81 | 81.27 |
| 2024 | 73.13 | 78.84 |
| 2025 | 66.82 | 75.01 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0026-01.
Both parts of the index fell in 2025: the violent CSI dropped about 7%, from 91.32 to 85.09, and the non-violent CSI about 10%, from 66.48 to 60.09 (our arithmetic). Statistics Canada’s figure for the Waterloo Regional Police Service is the same 66.82, because the police region and the metro area largely overlap. For the 10-year trend, read is Kitchener-Waterloo safe?
How does Kitchener-Waterloo compare with other Ontario cities?
Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo had the third-highest Crime Severity Index of Ontario’s 15 metro areas in 2025, at 66.8, behind Thunder Bay (114.1) and Brantford (72.1), by our ranking of Statistics Canada data. Nationally it ranked 22nd of 41 metro areas, below the Canadian average.
| Metro area (CMA) | Crime Severity Index (2025) | CSI change vs 2024 | Crime rate per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo | 66.8 | -9% | 5,083 |
| Brantford | 72.1 | +8% | 5,381 |
| London | 66.0 | +8% | 5,059 |
| Guelph | 57.8 | +2% | 4,288 |
| Hamilton | 54.8 | -7% | 4,076 |
| Ontario (province) | 57.2 | -6% | 4,296 |
| Canada | 75.0 | -5% | 5,585 |
Kitchener–Waterloo’s 9% fall tied with St. Catharines–Niagara for the second-largest drop among Ontario’s 15 metros, after Windsor (-12%), while neighbouring London and Brantford both rose 8%. See the London, Ontario crime map and Hamilton crime map guides, the most dangerous cities in Ontario and safest cities in Ontario rankings, every police map in the province on our Ontario crime map, and all 41 metros in crime rate in Canada by city.
Is Waterloo safe?
Waterloo is safe by Canadian standards: it is part of the Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CMA, whose 2025 homicide rate of 0.56 per 100,000 was about a third of the national 1.61 and whose robbery and vehicle theft rates were below average. Statistics Canada does not publish separate figures for the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, so the CMA numbers describe all three. Students should lock bikes, keep valuables out of sight and use well-lit routes late at night.
The WRPS map shows where police were called. Our Canada crime map puts Kitchener–Waterloo next to every other metro area using official Statistics Canada figures.
Want Kitchener-Waterloo’s crime data on your phone?
Safety App Canada puts official crime data on a live map, plans walking routes that avoid high-risk areas and sends one-tap SOS alerts to the people you trust. Coming soon to Android and iPhone.
Kitchener-Waterloo crime map FAQ
Does Kitchener have an official crime map?
Yes. The Waterloo Regional Police Service runs the WRPS Crime Map, which shows police calls for service across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the townships.
Does the WRPS crime map cover Cambridge?
Yes. The map covers all of Waterloo Region, which includes Cambridge, and Statistics Canada’s Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CMA figures (CSI 66.8 in 2025) also include Cambridge.
Can I download Waterloo Region crime data?
Yes. WRPS publishes anonymized occurrence data for each year from 2019 to 2025 as Excel and CSV files on its Statistics and Data page.
What is the crime rate in Kitchener?
The Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo CMA recorded 5,083 police-reported Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, down 5% from 2024 and about 9% below the national rate of 5,585.
Is crime in Kitchener-Waterloo going down?
Yes. The CSI fell three years in a row, from 78.87 in 2022 to 66.82 in 2025, including a 9% drop in 2025.
Related: Is Kitchener-Waterloo safe? · Ontario crime map · Safest cities in Ontario · London, Ontario crime map · How to protect your car from theft. Official source: Statistics Canada, The Daily · Guelph crime map. In an emergency call 911.