Winnipeg's crime rate is beginning to grow as pandemic restrictions start to go

Violent and property crime across Winnipeg rose as pandemic restrictions eased in the early part of the year compared with previous years, and experts say the increase will continue as the city returns to life without pandemic lockdowns. 

March, the most recent month the Winnipeg Police Service has data for, saw a nearly 40-per-cent increase in property and violent crimes in the city compared with the five-year average.

Michael Weinrath, a University of Winnipeg criminology professor, says several factors might be contributing contribute to rising crime rate,  the first being greater opportunities for criminals as pandemic restrictions eased earlier this year.

"We have more people who are out and about, so that means more potential interactions that could become negative," Weinrath said. "We have more people who become targets now because they're not staying at home."

Nearly 20 per cent more violent crime cases were reported this March than last, and the figure was 37.9 per cent higher than the average over the past five years.

Similarly, property crime saw a 39.2-per-cent increase over the five-year average for March.

Criminologist Kelly Gorkoff says crime was rising pre-pandemic, but there was a lull during the past two years.

"I don't think they're rising any more than they were before," she said. "I think they're meeting the pre-pandemic levels." 

Gorkoff, a criminal justice professor at the University of Winnipeg, pointed to the jump in assaults, robberies and uttering threats as all crimes that are likely the result of the easing of restrictions. 

"You need to have contact with each other for those crimes to increase," she said. 

Police say they need more time to know how much the pandemic affected crime and what, if any, trends may emerge. 

"We don't know what the new normal is," Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Jay Murray told the CBC. 

Murray said there was a "big increase" in crime in 2018 and 2019, when opioids and methamphetamines "took root in the city," but the pandemic interrupted some of people's activities. 

"I think over the course of the year we should have a better idea if some of these trends are temporary or if they're here to stay," said Murray.