Sarnia, Ontario is safer than the Canadian average on the official measure: the Sarnia Police Service recorded a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 62.26 in 2025, about 17% below the national 75.0 and down 29% from 87.58 in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. Its crime rate of 5,444 incidents per 100,000 people was slightly below Canada’s 5,585, and 2025 was Sarnia’s lowest CSI in at least ten years.
Data: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01 (Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance rates, police services in Ontario) and Table 35-10-0180-01 (incident-based crime statistics, police services in Ontario), 2025 figures released 22 July 2026 and checked 27 October 2026. Figures are for the Sarnia Police Service (municipal) in Sarnia, Ontario. Differences, ratios and the population estimate are our own calculation from Statistics Canada data. Updated 27 October 2026.
All figures are for calendar year 2025, the latest full year Statistics Canada has published. Sarnia is not one of Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas (CMAs), so it does not appear in the big-city rankings; the numbers here are for its own municipal police service, which served about 81,000 people in 2025 (our calculation from incidents and rates).
Key facts
- The Sarnia Police Service’s Crime Severity Index was 62.26 in 2025, down 29% from 87.58 in 2024 (Statistics Canada, released 22 July 2026).
- That is about 17% below Canada’s CSI of 75.0 and about 9% above Ontario’s 57.17 (our calculation from Statistics Canada data).
- Sarnia recorded 4,424 Criminal Code incidents in 2025, a rate of 5,444 per 100,000 people, down 30% from 7,733 in 2024.
- Sarnia’s violent crime severity index fell 31% in 2025, from 122.45 to 83.93.
- Police solved a weighted 70.28% of crime in 2025, almost twice the Canadian average of 36.64%.
- Sarnia recorded 1 homicide in 2025, down from 4 in 2024.
Is Sarnia, Ontario a safe city?
Sarnia, Ontario had less police-reported crime severity than the average Canadian community in 2025: its Crime Severity Index of 62.26 was 17% below the national 75.0, although it was still about 9% above the Ontario average of 57.17. Crime fell sharply across almost every major category in 2025, from violent crime to break-ins and car theft.
The Crime Severity Index is a Statistics Canada measure that weights each police-reported crime by how serious it is, with Canada in 2006 set at 100. The crime rate is the number of Criminal Code incidents (excluding traffic) per 100,000 people. Our Crime Severity Index explainer shows how the two measures differ. Both count only crimes reported to police.
| Area (2025) | Crime Severity Index | Violent CSI | Non-violent CSI | Crime rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarnia Police Service | 62.26 | 83.93 | 54.12 | 5,444 |
| Ontario (province) | 57.17 | 74.91 | 50.56 | 4,296 |
| Canada (all police services) | 75.0 | 97.19 | 66.78 | 5,585 |
Sarnia’s violent severity was 14% below the national level in 2025 and its non-violent severity was 19% below Canada’s (our calculation from Statistics Canada data).
How does Sarnia compare with other Ontario cities?
Sarnia’s 2025 CSI of 62.26 was the lowest of the mid-sized Ontario police services compared below, well under Timmins (126.14), Sault Ste. Marie (107.26), Cornwall (97.22) and North Bay (87.94), according to Statistics Canada Table 35-10-0188-01.
| Police service or area (Ontario) | Crime Severity Index (2025) |
|---|---|
| Timmins Police Service | 126.14 |
| Sault Ste. Marie Police Service | 107.26 |
| Cornwall Police Service | 97.22 |
| North Bay Police Service | 87.94 |
| London Police Service | 73.00 |
| Windsor Police Service | 71.52 |
| Sarnia Police Service | 62.26 |
| Ontario (province) | 57.17 |
Among its southwestern Ontario neighbours, Sarnia’s CSI was about 15% lower than the London Police Service’s 73.00 and 13% lower than the Windsor Police Service’s 71.52 in 2025 (our calculation). See is London, Ontario safe, the London, Ontario crime map, is Windsor safe and our ranking of the most dangerous cities in Ontario.
What is the crime rate in Sarnia, Ontario?
Sarnia’s crime rate was 5,444 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 3% below Canada’s 5,585 but 27% above Ontario’s 4,296. The Sarnia Police Service recorded 4,424 incidents, down 29% from 6,256 in 2024.
| Offence (Sarnia Police Service) | Incidents 2025 | Rate per 100,000 (2025) | Rate per 100,000 (2024) | Canada rate per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Criminal Code (excl. traffic) | 4,424 | 5,444 | 7,733 | 5,585 |
| Violent crime | 1,206 | 1,484 | 2,053 | 1,443 |
| Property crime | 1,993 | 2,453 | 3,684 | 3,141 |
| Shoplifting ($5,000 or under) | 601 | 740 | 868 | 502 |
| Breaking and entering | 203 | 250 | 382 | 262 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 59 | 73 | 101 | 201 |
| Homicide | 1 | 1.23 | 4.94 | 1.61 |
Sarnia’s property crime rate was 22% below the Canadian rate in 2025, which is the main reason its overall severity is below average. About 28% of incidents were “other Criminal Code violations”, a Statistics Canada category that includes offences such as failing to comply with court orders; Sarnia’s rate for this category was about 1,507 per 100,000, roughly 1.5 times the national 1,001 (our calculation from Statistics Canada data).
Is crime in Sarnia going up or down?
Crime severity in Sarnia fell 29% in 2025 to 62.26, the lowest value in the 2015–2025 series and 26% below the 2015 level of 84.28, according to Statistics Canada. Before 2025, Sarnia’s CSI had stayed between about 78 and 91 for a decade.
| Year | Sarnia CSI | Violent CSI | Non-violent CSI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 84.28 | 66.09 | 90.73 |
| 2017 | 86.23 | 67.90 | 92.62 |
| 2019 | 81.52 | 70.38 | 85.33 |
| 2021 | 90.92 | 114.88 | 82.11 |
| 2023 | 88.24 | 108.94 | 80.71 |
| 2024 | 87.58 | 122.45 | 74.38 |
| 2025 | 62.26 | 83.93 | 54.12 |
Violent severity in Sarnia had risen from 66.09 in 2015 to a peak of 122.45 in 2024 before falling 31% in 2025, while non-violent severity has drifted down for most of the decade. Statistics Canada notes that the CSI is not a universal measure of safety, and in a city of Sarnia’s size one year’s change can be large, so it is worth watching whether the 2025 level holds in 2026 data.
Is violent crime high in Sarnia?
Sarnia’s violent crime rate was 1,484 incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 3% above Canada’s 1,443 and 38% above Ontario’s 1,078, after a 28% drop from 2,053 in 2024. Because the most serious violent offences were rarer, the violent severity index (83.93) was 14% below the national 97.19.
Sarnia recorded 1 homicide in 2025, a rate of 1.23 per 100,000, compared with 4 in 2024. Violent incidents made up about 27% of all crime in Sarnia, close to the national share of about 26% (our calculation from Statistics Canada data). Our violent crime by city ranking compares the large metro areas.
Are shoplifting, break-ins and car theft a problem in Sarnia?
Shoplifting is the one property crime where Sarnia stands out: police recorded 601 shoplifting incidents in 2025, a rate of 740 per 100,000, about 47% above Canada’s 502 and 48% above Ontario’s 499, although it fell 15% from 2024. Our report on shoplifting in Canada explains the national rise.
Break-ins fell 35% to 250 per 100,000, about 5% below Canada’s 262 but 32% above Ontario’s 189. Motor vehicle theft is low: 59 vehicles were reported stolen in 2025, a rate of 73 per 100,000, about 64% below the national 201 and 61% below Ontario’s 187. For prevention, see our home security tips.
How do I report a crime or check crime in Sarnia?
The Sarnia Police Service takes general inquiries at 519-344-8861 and accepts more than a dozen types of non-emergency reports online, such as property damage, theft and graffiti, according to the service’s website (checked 27 October 2026). We did not find a public interactive crime map on the site.
- Call 911 for any emergency or crime in progress.
- Use the online reporting page on sarniapolice.ca for eligible non-emergency incidents.
- Call 519-344-8861 for other non-emergency matters.
- Compare areas with official data on our Canada crime map and the Ontario crime map, and read how to report a crime in Canada.
The police headquarters is at 555 Christina Street North. In 2025 police solved a weighted 70.28% of crime, up from 56.00% in 2024 and well above the Ontario (39.80%) and Canadian (36.64%) averages; see how many crimes are solved in Canada.
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Sarnia crime FAQ
Is Sarnia, Ontario a safe place to live?
Sarnia had below-average crime severity in 2025, with a Crime Severity Index of 62.26 against 75.0 nationally, and its CSI fell 29% from 2024 to the lowest level since at least 2015.
What is the crime rate in Sarnia, Ontario?
Sarnia recorded 5,444 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, down 30% from 2024 and about 3% below the national rate of 5,585.
Is Sarnia safer than London, Ontario?
Yes, on the official severity measure. The Sarnia Police Service’s 2025 CSI of 62.26 was about 15% lower than the London Police Service’s 73.00.
Is Sarnia safer than Windsor?
Yes, slightly. Sarnia’s CSI of 62.26 in 2025 was about 13% lower than the Windsor Police Service’s 71.52.
How many homicides were there in Sarnia in 2025?
The Sarnia Police Service recorded 1 homicide in 2025, down from 4 in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.
Related: safest cities in Ontario · safest towns in Ontario · crime rate in Canada by city · is Sault Ste. Marie safe? · is North Bay safe? · is Cornwall safe? · is Chatham-Kent safe?. In an emergency call 911.