Per resident, Wellington records more crime than four in five Canadian towns
Its Safety Grade is C−, on crime the police covering Wellington reported from 2023 to 2025: #229 of 474 in Alberta. Violence and property crime split as 14.2 violent incidents and 45.0 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents a year, beside 10.8 and 25.1 in the typical Canadian town of 50,000+. Split in two, the index gives 128.3 for violence and 103.6 for everything else (normally 75.2 and 54.2). In 2023 the index stood at 114.9; it fell to 103.9 in 2025.
Statistics Canada, police-reported crime, 2023–2025 means. The index weighs each crime by its seriousness; rates are incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Not measured by town: crime severity and crime rate (the Edmonton service area).
Wellington: C− for safety, and why
How sure: A less certain grade than most: it reads the city’s overall figure, which can hide how Wellington itself compares.
The grade weighs the Crime Severity Index and its violent half, averaged over 2023–2025, against every Canadian town and city neighbourhood of 1,000 people or more.
Its place: #229 of 474 in Alberta and #2,009 of 2,572 Canadian towns.
The Crime Severity Index and its two halves, beside the typical figure for Canadian towns of 50,000 people or more.
Edmonton’s crime, type by type
These are Edmonton’s figures, for its police’s whole area: they aren’t published by neighbourhood.
Against the typical town its size, Edmonton runs highest on motor vehicle theft (3.9 per 1,000 against 1.7), break and enter (4.8 per 1,000 against 2.2) and theft under $5,000 (21.4 per 1,000 against 11.5).
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 34.3 | 0.03 | 68% |
| Sexual violations against children | 426.7 | 0.4 | 56% |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 622 | 0.5 | 86% |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 170 | 0.1 | 48% |
| Robbery | 1,333.7 | 1.1 | 35% |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 100.3 | 0.09 | 80% |
| Other violent violations | 452 | 0.4 | 44% |
| Breaking and entering | 5,679.3 | 4.8 | 13% |
| Possession of stolen property | 1,457 | 1.2 | 65% |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 4,638.7 | 3.9 | 7% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 1,538.3 | 1.3 | 4% |
| Theft under $5,000 | 25,561.3 | 21.4 | 16% |
| Mischief | 6,367.3 | 5.4 | 18% |
| Weapons violations | 1,168.3 | 1 | 72% |
| Administration of justice violations | 17,903.7 | 15.1 | 98% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 772.7 | 0.7 | 74% |
| Drug violations | 889.3 | 0.7 | 79% |
| Impaired driving | 1,242 | 1 | 92% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 31 | 0.03 | 100% |
Statistics Canada’s violation groups for the whole police service or detachment: incidents a year are its own, the town’s share is only estimated in the tiles. Cleared: incidents solved by a charge or otherwise, as a share of those reported.
Incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 means, against the typical figure for Canadian towns of 50,000 people or more.
Wellington, year by year
Crime Severity Index
Its highest year was 2023, at 114.9, and its lowest 2025, at 103.9. Over 2023–2025, the typical Canadian town of 50,000+ moved from 64.3 to 59.2.
Every year as a table
| Year | Wellington | Typical town of 50,000+ |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 103.9 | 59.2 |
| 2024 | 111.1 | 59.9 |
| 2023 | 114.9 | 64.3 |
Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index by police service, each year as published. Typical: the median of Canadian towns of 50,000 people or more.
The Crime Severity Index of the police covering Wellington, each year, against the typical Canadian town of 50,000+.
Crime in the places around Wellington
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 3,314 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Hudson | 3,634 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Athlone | 3,242 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Cumberland | 6,493 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Kensington | 3,697 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Carlisle | 4,609 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
| Calder | 4,221 | 110 | 128.3 | C− |
The comparison skips 6 neighbours reported under the same police.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- An index, not a verdict. Statistics Canada builds the index from every crime police record, weighted by how seriously the courts treat it, and divides by the population. It adds a warning of its own: “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
- The whole city’s numbers. Edmonton Police no longer publish neighbourhood occurrences as open data, so Wellington’s figures are the whole city’s.
- The index’s scale. Its scale starts from Canada in 2006, set at 100, so a figure above 100 means more serious crime per resident than the country had then.
- What clearance means. The clearance rate is the share of incidents police solve, by a charge or otherwise, weighted by seriousness like the index. It isn’t a conviction rate.
Questions about safety in Wellington
Is Wellington safe?
Its police recorded 14.2 violent incidents and 45 property crimes a year per 1,000 residents over 2023–2025, which gives Wellington a Crime Severity Index of 110. Across Canadian towns of 50,000 people or more, the median is 60.3.
What is the most common crime in Wellington?
The three biggest groups are theft under $5,000 at 21.4, other Criminal Code offences at 18.1 and assault at 8, each per 1,000 residents a year.
Is crime going up in Wellington?
Down 10%: 114.9 in 2023, 103.9 in 2025.
How much of Wellington’s crime do police solve?
34%, by the weighted clearance rate, where the typical Canadian town of 50,000+ manages 38%. Violent crime is cleared at 48% and non-violent crime at 27%.
Whose figures are these?
The city force’s, one set of figures for the city.
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025 (Statistics Canada Open Licence); TownRatings calculation.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services (tables 35-10-0186 to 0190, 0061, 0063, 0064), 2023–2025 · Statistics Canada, Incident-based crime statistics by detailed violations, police services (35-10-0178 to 0185) · Safety Grade: TownRatings calculation. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).