TORONTO, October 13, 2026 – Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford released a set of Toronto Police Service Community Safety Indicators on October 11 and used the data to question incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow’s statements about improvements in public safety.
According to Toronto Police Service Community Safety Indicators, Toronto recorded 35,697 major crime incidents from January 1 to October 4, 2026, an increase of 322 incidents, or 0.9 per cent, compared with the same period in 2025.
Crime trends varied by category. Assaults reached 19,416 incidents, up 83 cases, or 0.4 per cent, year over year. Auto thefts totalled 5,768, up 322 cases, or 5.9 per cent. Break-and-enters rose 0.2 per cent, reaching 4,587 incidents, while thefts over $5,000 increased 5.4 per cent.
At the same time, some serious crime indicators declined. Robberies totalled 1,921 during the same period, down 5.9 per cent year over year. Sexual assaults decreased by two per cent. Homicides totalled 28, down seven cases from the same period last year, a decrease of 20 per cent.
Bradford said declines in some categories, including homicides and robberies, are worth noting. However, he argued that incidents more directly affecting residents’ daily lives, such as assaults, auto thefts and break-and-enters, have not shown clear improvement. He said the overall state of public safety should not be judged only by categories that have declined.
He said residents’ sense of safety also affects daily choices, including whether they are willing to take public transit, go out at night, or worry about their vehicles or homes being targeted.
Bradford used the issue to repeat his campaign pledge to increase police staffing. He said that if elected, he would add a net 1,000 front-line police officers during his first mayoral term, with a focus on community patrols and subway stations rather than administrative positions.
He also pledged that, if elected mayor, he would personally sit on the Toronto Police Services Board. The board is responsible for appointing the police chief, setting policing policy and approving the police budget.
Toronto Police Service already has its own five-year hiring plan. Under the existing plan, deployed staffing is expected to rise from 5,433 officers in 2024 to 5,935 by 2029. Bradford’s proposal to add 1,000 officers would go beyond the existing hiring plan.
In response to Chow’s campaign emphasizing declines in some crime indicators, Bradford said public safety should consider both statistics and residents’ lived experience. He said Toronto needs to be both “actually safe” and a city where residents “feel safe.”
As the October 26 mayoral election approaches, public safety remains a major policy difference between the leading candidates. Police data shows Toronto’s safety trends vary by category: some serious violent crime indicators are down, while assaults, auto thefts and some property crimes remain above the same period last year.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
