Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / File photo / A Chilliwack RCMP constable walks through a neighbourhood after a police incident in this file photo.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Crime rate

Chilliwack sees drop in violent crime, but has the highest crime rate in Canada

Jul 22, 2025 | 10:05 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack has seen a substantial drop in its violent crime rate year over year, but still has the highest reported crime rate of any census metropolitan area in Canada.

According to new numbers released by Statistics Canada, police reported 11,352 crimes per 100,000 population in Chilliwack in 2024, the highest number reported of any census metropolitan area in Canada.

Red Deer, Alberta was second with a crime rate of 10,650, while Kamloops, B.C., wasn’t far behind with 10,546 crimes per 100,000.

Chilliwack saw a significant drop in violent crime year-over-year. Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index — which assigns weights to crime categories based on lengths of court sentences — shows a decline of 11 per cent in violent crime from 2023.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / IHIT was deployed to Chilliwack in December 2023 after human remains were found on Princess Avenue.

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Chilliwack’s Crime Severity index had a score of 141.7, which outpaced Abbotsford-Mission (95.0), Vancouver (81.2) and Kelowna (108.8).

Meantime, B.C. had a decrease in its crime rate and number of violent crimes. In 2024, B.C. had a crime rate of 6,861 per 100,000 population, a decline of seven per cent from 2023. B.C. had a Crime Severity Index of 93.0 in 2024, down 11 per cent from the previous year.

Overall, Statistics Canada reports a year-over-year decrease of four per cent in total crime rate and Crime Severity Index across Canada.

CFJC Today (Kamloops)/B100 (Merritt) reporter Aaron Schulze contributed to this story.