Property crime a key issue for Winnipeggers in upcoming election

Property crime is an issue many Winnipeggers say they want to see the next mayor and council take action on.

It’s a concern for North Kildonan resident Chris Grabski.

“Lots of door handle checking, we’ve had people rifle through our vehicles, we’ve had one instance where somebody came to our door tried to get in. I had somebody come in my backyard,” he said.

He says he has also heightened home security measures.

“It’s frustrating because I felt like we picked a quiet neighbourhood to raise our kids,” Grabski said.

“But it’s not surprising. Frustrating, but not surprising.”

Crystal Watson moved to the Centennial neighbourhood in the city about a year ago.

“I’ve never seen this much crime,” she said.

Her backyard is now kept locked up after a rash of property crime and suspicious activity.

“We had someone going through our backyard when no one was home, my child was home, and no one did anything. It took two and a half hours for the cops to come. We didn’t know if he was going to break in or not,” Watson said.

She has also installed security cameras around her house, and put plywood boards on top of the backyard fence to deter people from climbing in.

“We paid for the security cameras and…. I will say, I have a bat by my door now.” 

According to data from the Winnipeg Police Service, property crime is down slightly this year, dropping 0.2 per cent from July 2025 to June of this year. But in some areas, like the William Whyte neighborhood, it’s up 46 per cent over the three year average.

“People feel very unsafe and they are fed up,” William Whyte Neigbourhood Association president Darrell Warren told Global News.

“People want to feel safe when they are in our yards and in our homes. And unfortunately, that’s not happening. And it’s not just my area. It’s city-wide.” 

Warren says lengthy police response times to reports of property crimes sometimes deters residents from reporting the crime at all.

“There are a lot of higher priority crimes that they have to deal with therefore the property crimes are put on the backburner,” Warren said, adding he understands the challenge for police, who are overwhelmed with serious calls.

“We really have to do a lot better when it comes to crime in our city, it’s totally out of hand now.”