Chatham-Kent is moderately safe by Canadian standards: the Chatham-Kent Police Service area had a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 65.66 in 2025, down about 12% from 74.49 in 2024 and about 12% below Canada’s 75.0, but about 15% above Ontario’s 57.2, according to Statistics Canada. It was the municipality’s lowest index since 2015.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Table 35-10-0188-01 (Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance rates, police services in Ontario) and Table 35-10-0180-01 (incidents and rates by violation, police services in Ontario), checked on 2 November 2026. Figures cover the Municipality of Chatham-Kent as policed by the Chatham-Kent Police Service. Percentage changes, ratios and population estimates are our own calculation from Statistics Canada data. Updated 2 November 2026.
Key facts
- Chatham-Kent had a Crime Severity Index of 65.66 in 2025, down about 12% from 74.49 in 2024 (Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01; our calculation).
- Chatham-Kent’s crime rate was 5,779 incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 35% above Ontario’s 4,296 and 3% above Canada’s 5,585 (Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0180-01; our calculation).
- Break-ins fell about 26% to 513 in 2025, but the break-in rate of 455 per 100,000 was still about 2.4 times Ontario’s 189 (our calculation).
- Chatham-Kent recorded no homicides in 2025, after three in 2024.
- The Chatham-Kent Police Service’s weighted clearance rate was 49.30 in 2025, above Ontario’s 39.80 and Canada’s 36.64.
Is Chatham-Kent a safe place to live?
Chatham-Kent is a reasonably safe place to live by Statistics Canada’s measures: its 2025 Crime Severity Index of 65.66 was below the national 75.01 and below nearby Windsor (71.52) and London (73.00), although it was above the Ontario average of 57.17. Chatham-Kent, a largely rural municipality in southwestern Ontario between Windsor and London, had about 112,700 residents in 2025 (our calculation: incidents divided by rate).
The Crime Severity Index is a Statistics Canada measure that weights each police-reported offence by its seriousness, with Canada in 2006 set at 100. The crime rate is the number of police-reported Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic, per 100,000 residents. Our Crime Severity Index explainer covers the method.
| Measure (2025) | Chatham-Kent | Windsor Police | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 65.66 | 71.52 | 57.17 | 75.01 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 73.52 | 93.51 | 74.91 | 97.19 |
| Non-violent Crime Severity Index | 63.07 | 63.33 | 50.56 | 66.78 |
| Crime rate per 100,000 | 5,779 | 5,443 | 4,296 | 5,585 |
| Weighted clearance rate | 49.30 | 44.82 | 39.80 | 36.64 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Tables 35-10-0188-01 and 35-10-0180-01 (Chatham-Kent Police Service, Windsor Police Service, Ontario; checked 2 November 2026) and Table 35-10-0026-01 for Canada.
Chatham-Kent’s violent crime severity (73.52) was almost the same as Ontario’s (74.91) and about 24% below Canada’s, so the gap with the province comes mainly from non-violent crime (our calculation).
How does Chatham-Kent compare with Windsor, Sarnia and London?
Chatham-Kent’s 2025 Crime Severity Index of 65.66 was about 8% lower than Windsor’s 71.52 and about 10% lower than London’s 73.00, but about 5% higher than Sarnia’s 62.26, according to Statistics Canada (our calculation).
| Police service (southwestern Ontario) | Crime Severity Index (2025) |
|---|---|
| LaSalle Police Service | 22.23 |
| Essex County OPP (Leamington) | 54.77 |
| Woodstock Police Service | 62.17 |
| Sarnia Police Service | 62.26 |
| Chatham-Kent Police Service | 65.66 |
| Windsor Police Service | 71.52 |
| London Police Service | 73.00 |
| Brantford Police Service | 83.97 |
| Ontario | 57.17 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01, checked 2 November 2026. OPP rows are municipal contract figures.
Chatham-Kent sits in the middle of the region: lower than the larger cities on either side, higher than smaller Essex County communities. Read is Windsor safe?, is Sarnia safe? and is London, Ontario safe?, or check street-level tools in our Windsor crime map guide. For the provincial picture, see the most dangerous cities in Ontario and the safest towns in Ontario.
What is the crime rate in Chatham-Kent?
The crime rate in Chatham-Kent was 5,779 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, almost unchanged from 5,758 in 2024, with 6,514 incidents in total (Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0180-01; our calculation).
| Offence | Chatham-Kent incidents (2024) | Chatham-Kent incidents (2025) | Chatham-Kent rate per 100,000 (2025) | Ontario rate (2025) | Canada rate (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 1,090 | 1,490 | 1,322 | 1,078 | 1,443 |
| Property crime | 3,418 | 3,297 | 2,925 | — | 3,141 |
| Breaking and entering | 689 | 513 | 455 | 189 | 262 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 244 | 165 | 146 | 187 | 201 |
| Shoplifting ($5,000 or under) | 560 | 715 | 634 | 499 | 502 |
| Homicide | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.27 | 1.61 |
Rates are per 100,000 population, rounded. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0180-01 (Chatham-Kent Police Service, Ontario) and Table 35-10-0177-01 for Canada.
Chatham-Kent’s vehicle-theft rate was about 22% below Ontario’s and 27% below Canada’s, while its break-in and shoplifting rates were higher than both (our calculation). For all 41 metro areas, see crime rate in Canada by city.
What kind of crime is most common in Chatham-Kent?
Property crime is the largest category in Chatham-Kent: 3,297 of the 6,514 incidents recorded in 2025 (about 51%) were property offences and 1,490 (about 23%) were violent offences (Statistics Canada; our calculation).
- Break-ins: 513 incidents in 2025, down from 689. The rate of 455 per 100,000 is about 74% above Canada’s 262. See break-ins in Canada and our home security tips.
- Shoplifting: 715 incidents, up about 28% from 560; the rate of 634 per 100,000 is about 27% above Ontario’s 499. See shoplifting in Canada.
- Vehicle theft: 165 vehicles, down about 32% from 244. See car theft in Canada.
- Violent crime: 1,490 incidents, up about 37% from 1,090. The rate of 1,322 per 100,000 is about 23% above Ontario’s 1,078 but about 8% below Canada’s 1,443. Compare cities in violent crime in Canada by city.
Because Chatham-Kent’s violent crime severity index fell about 6% while the number of violent incidents rose, the additional incidents were on average less serious offences (our reading of Statistics Canada data).
Is crime in Chatham-Kent going up or down?
Crime severity in Chatham-Kent went down in 2025: the Crime Severity Index fell from 74.49 in 2024 to 65.66, its lowest level since 2015 and about 17% below the 2021 peak of 78.74 (Statistics Canada; our calculation).
| Year | Chatham-Kent CSI | Violent CSI | Non-violent CSI | Weighted clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 62.11 | 39.46 | 70.22 | 40.94 |
| 2017 | 74.69 | 40.03 | 86.98 | 35.43 |
| 2019 | 69.70 | 57.25 | 74.02 | 43.71 |
| 2020 | 78.67 | 60.09 | 85.17 | 41.85 |
| 2021 | 78.74 | 80.28 | 78.79 | 52.21 |
| 2022 | 71.41 | 65.55 | 74.36 | 46.03 |
| 2023 | 76.22 | 72.78 | 78.24 | 46.74 |
| 2024 | 74.49 | 78.15 | 73.65 | 46.32 |
| 2025 | 65.66 | 73.52 | 63.07 | 49.30 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01, Chatham-Kent municipal police.
The non-violent index in 2025 was the lowest since at least 2015, but the violent index was still about 86% higher than in 2015 (our calculation). The weighted clearance rate is the severity-weighted share of incidents solved by police; more in how many crimes are solved in Canada.
How can I check or report crime in Chatham-Kent?
Statistics Canada publishes Chatham-Kent figures for the municipality as a whole, not by community, so street-level checks need local sources.
- Start with the official numbers. Use the tables above and compare them with Windsor, Sarnia and Ontario.
- Report non-emergency crime online. The Chatham-Kent Police Service runs an online reporting tool for non-emergency incidents, launched in October 2025.
- Compare with the region. See Chatham-Kent next to other places on our Canada crime map and the Ontario crime map.
- Follow our checklist. Our guide on how to check crime in your neighbourhood covers the rest.
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Chatham-Kent crime FAQ
Is Chatham-Kent safe?
Mostly yes. Chatham-Kent’s 2025 Crime Severity Index was 65.66, about 12% below Canada’s 75.0 but about 15% above Ontario’s 57.2, according to Statistics Canada.
What is the crime rate in Chatham-Kent?
Chatham-Kent recorded 5,779 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, compared with 4,296 in Ontario and 5,585 in Canada.
Is Chatham-Kent safer than Windsor?
On crime severity, yes. Chatham-Kent’s 2025 CSI of 65.66 was about 8% below Windsor’s 71.52, although its crime rate (5,779) was slightly higher than Windsor’s (5,443).
Is crime going down in Chatham-Kent?
Yes. Chatham-Kent’s Crime Severity Index fell about 12% in 2025 to 65.66, its lowest level since 2015, and break-ins fell about 26%.
Related: safest cities in Ontario · safest towns in Ontario · is Windsor safe? · London, Ontario crime map · how to report a crime in Canada. In an emergency call 911.