Crime overall across Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador, is down by about five per cent but the number of homicides in the metro region spiked last year.
Usually, the region has two or three homicides a year but in 2025, Statistics Canada says there were eight such deaths.
The director of criminology in the Department of Sociology at Memorial University doesn’t equate that to a wave of violent crime sweeping over the region, though. Adrienne Peters says whereas the numbers are so few to begin with, the eight homicides do not translate into any particular statement.
However, one thing which is happening in the province is an escalation in the prevalence of firearms.
“Individuals involved in various activities are possessing firearms at higher rates than we would have seen in previous years,” says Dr. Peters.
Dr. Adrienne Peter (Photo via Twitter)
One area of non-violent crime which has increased significantly is shoplifting.
You see many retail operations with security personnel where none were present a few years ago.
“I believe that’s directly attributable to the cost of living challenges,” says Dr. Peters.
“All of this is a larger social-cultural picture of what’s happening in our communities and perhaps a lack of support that people are receiving from agencies, governments, communities and other health and social organizations.”
