Barrie among list of cities where crime was on the rise in 2022

Police reported crimes across the country are up for a second straight year. Statistics Canada says police-reported crimes rose by 4%. In Barrie, the rate change was 5%.

Gurdeep Singh of Barrie was at working making pizzas on Sunday. He had a scary incident a few months ago.

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"I was working at a pizza store, and suddenly two guys came in, and they jumped over the counter. It was scary like I just wanted to go out of the store," said Singh.

On Thursday, Statistics Canada released new data that said violent reported crimes increased by five percent last year across the country. Non-violent crimes like drug offences and vandalism rose four percent but remain lower than pre covid numbers.

"I'm not surprised that things have gone up. Violent crime used to be a big city issue, but it is also coming into rural Canada, smaller Canada, small towns, mid-sized communities," said Chris Lewis, CTV Public Safety Analyst.

Shoplifting increased by 31%, while vehicle theft jumped by 24%.

At the other end of the spectrum, Identity fraud fell by 11 percent. Impaired driving was also down, with a decline of three percent.

"They are bigger and more complex than just policing issues where the police prevent and respond and try to solve crimes, so these are bigger societal issues," Lewis added.