Homicide rate in Windsor-Essex doubled in 2021: report

Windsor Police Service Headquarters in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, May 2, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Homicide rates in Windsor-Essex doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to a new Statistics Canada report on crimes reported to police last year.

According to the report, there were 10 homicides in the region last year, which is twice more than the five reported in 2020.

Windsor-Essex reported 10 homicide victims in 2018, however, this is higher than previous years with six reported in 2019, and three in both 2017 and 2016.

The most recent data from the 2021 census report has the population of Windsor-Essex at 422,630, making the city’s homicide rate 2.84 per 100,000 people.

Over the last 10 years, the Windsor area reported its lowest number of homicide victims in 2010 with zero reported victims that year.

Throughout the decade, the city reported the number of homicides ranging from one to 10, with six being the second highest in 2019.

In southwestern Ontario the London area and Hamilton, which both have larger populations, had higher homicide rates than Windsor-Essex.

London reported 16 in 2021, an increase from the 8 reported in 2020, while Hamilton reported 20 which is also up from the 18 reported in 2020.

The report shows there were 788 homicides across the country in 2021 with Toronto reporting 117, followed by Vancouver with 60.