Ontario's Lowest-Crime Regions: 10 Large Police Services Ranked by Crime Severity
Ranked from lowest to highest on Statistics Canada's Crime Severity Index for 2025. Halton Region, which includes Burlington and Oakville, is lowest by a wide margin.
Quick Answer
Of 10 large Ontario police services, Halton Regional Police, which serves Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills, had the lowest Crime Severity Index in 2025, at 30.61, according to Statistics Canada. Durham (43.18) and York (50.28) were next. London had the highest of the 10, at 73.00. For comparison, the index for Canada as a whole was 75.0 and for Ontario 57.2.
Statistics Canada's Crime Severity Index (CSI) measures both the amount of police-reported crime and how serious it is: more serious crimes, such as robbery or assault, count for more than minor ones. Canada in 2006 is set at 100, so a lower number means less, or less serious, police-reported crime. This ranking compares 10 of Ontario's largest municipal police services using Statistics Canada's figures for 2025, released on July 22, 2026, the latest available. Each figure covers the whole area a service polices. Halton's, for example, covers all four of its municipalities, not Burlington alone.
Halton's index is less than half Canada's
Halton's Crime Severity Index of 30.61 is about 59% below Canada's overall 75.0, and about 46% below Ontario's 57.2. Its violent crime index (26.26) was also the lowest of the 10 services. Statistics Canada notes that the index measures police-reported crime and is not an indicator of overall safety, so it's one piece of the picture, not a full safety rating.
Crime Severity Index by police service, 2025 · Lower = less police-reported crime
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01 (released July 22, 2026)Tap any police service to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #10 to #1
London
Change from 2024: +10.9% (65.84 → 73.00)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 73.00
- Category:
- London Police Service · London
London had the highest Crime Severity Index of the 10 services, at 73.00, still slightly below Canada's 75.0.
London's index rose about 10.9%, the biggest increase of the 10. Its violent crime index (88.82) was also the highest.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Waterloo
Change from 2024: −8.6% (73.13 → 66.82)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 66.82
- Category:
- Waterloo Regional Police · Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and area
Waterloo Region's index fell to 66.82, from 73.13 in 2024.
Despite falling about 8.6%, Waterloo is still second-highest of the 10.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Hamilton
Change from 2024: −6.7% (66.70 → 62.21)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 62.21
- Category:
- Hamilton Police Service · City of Hamilton
Hamilton's index fell to 62.21 in 2025, from 66.70.
Hamilton's index is about twice Halton's, even though the two border each other.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Toronto
Change from 2024: −12.6% (68.62 → 59.98)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 59.98
- Category:
- Toronto Police Service · City of Toronto
Toronto's index dropped to 59.98, from 68.62 in 2024.
Toronto's drop of about 12.6% was the largest of the 10 services.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Peel
Change from 2024: +4.2% (57.01 → 59.41)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 59.41
- Category:
- Peel Regional Police · Mississauga and Brampton
Peel's index rose to 59.41, from 57.01 in 2024.
Peel and London were the only two of the 10 services whose index went up.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Niagara
Change from 2024: −8.7% (58.94 → 53.84)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 53.84
- Category:
- Niagara Regional Police · St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and area
Niagara Region's index fell to 53.84, from 58.94.
Niagara's drop of about 8.7% was the second-largest of the 10, after Toronto's.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Ottawa
Change from 2024: −6.7% (55.97 → 52.23)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 52.23
- Category:
- Ottawa Police Service · City of Ottawa
Ottawa's index fell to 52.23 in 2025, from 55.97.
Ottawa has the lowest index of the five services in this ranking outside the Greater Toronto Area.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
York
Change from 2024: −6.1% (53.57 → 50.28)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 50.28
- Category:
- York Regional Police · Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and area
York Region's index fell to 50.28, from 53.57.
York is the third-lowest of the 10, about 1.6 times Halton's index.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Durham
Change from 2024: −8.5% (47.19 → 43.18)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 43.18
- Category:
- Durham Regional Police · Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and area
Durham Region is second-lowest, with an index of 43.18, down from 47.19.
Durham is still 12.57 points above Halton, the biggest gap between any two places next to each other in this ranking.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
Halton
Change from 2024: −1.9% (31.20 → 30.61)- Crime Severity Index (2025):
- 30.61
- Category:
- Halton Regional Police · Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills
Halton Region, home to Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills, has the lowest Crime Severity Index of the 10 services, at 30.61.
Halton's index is less than half Canada's (75.0), and its violent crime index (26.26) was also the lowest of the 10.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01
What the numbers tell us
Eight of the 10 services saw their index fall from 2024 to 2025; only Peel and London rose. Canada's overall index fell about 5%, and Ontario's (57.2) was the lowest of any province or territory.
- Data period:
- 2025 police-reported crime data, compared with 2024, released July 22, 2026
- Last updated:
- October 31, 2026
- Sources:
- Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in Ontario (released July 22, 2026); Statistics Canada, The Daily, "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2025" (July 22, 2026). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada / Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Police services are ranked by Statistics Canada's total Crime Severity Index for 2025, from lowest to highest. The ranking compares 10 of Ontario's largest municipal police services; it doesn't include every service in Ontario or areas policed by the Ontario Provincial Police. Each figure covers the full area a service polices, so Halton's covers Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills together; Statistics Canada does not publish a separate index for each municipality. These police-service figures differ from Statistics Canada's figures for census metropolitan areas, which can combine several services. Index values are shown as published; percentage changes are calculated by Viszlyn from the published 2024 and 2025 values and rounded. Statistics Canada notes that the Crime Severity Index is not an indicator of overall safety and should be read in a broader community context.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of 10 large Ontario police services, Halton Regional Police had the lowest Crime Severity Index in 2025, at 30.61, according to Statistics Canada. Halton Region includes Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills. Durham (43.18) and York (50.28) were next.