The region is beginning to learn more about how it has changed over the past year, particularly when it comes to the crimes being committed and the efforts of Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
It comes as the local service has released details on its 2025 Annual Report, covering the list of crimes, actions, and enforcement numbers from last year.
“It’s an opportunity to share with the community what we’ve been focused on throughout 2025,” said Director of Corporate Affairs with WRPS, Cherri Greeno.
“That includes our achievements, some of our challenges, and a glimpse into where we’re headed to in the future.”
Those details and findings were discussed during a recent WRPS board meeting, with Chief Mark Crowell going into the specifics around a few key statistics seen throughout 2025.
While many of those numbers show the key findings seen last year, many of the deeper trends and overarching storylines throughout the region aren’t properly brought to light until comparisons are made to the numbers from 2024, the year prior.
Notably, there are a large number of dips between the two years, including a few sharp drops of over 50 per cent.
The largest noted drop has been seen in the amount of drugs seized by WRPS, with the report noting that they seized a total value of $1.88 million worth of drugs in 2025.
“Our commitment to the substances that are prohibited in terms of drugs, weapons, and other things throughout the course of our investigations, not only add up in the tallies of the numbers themselves, but in the dollar value,” Crowell stated.
While that appears to be a large number, it’s a large difference compared with 2024, when $4.25 million worth of drugs was seized, marking an over 55 per cent dip from 2024 to 2025.
Those dips are mirrored in the drugs seized themselves, with police seizing less than half of what they did in 2024 when it comes to methamphetamines and fentanyl, and over 90 per cent less when it comes to cocaine and illegal marijuana.
The other large change has been seen in regards to human trafficking charges, where 36 were laid in 2024 and dropped by half in 2025, with just 18 charges laid last year.
That particular number comes as those human trafficking cases have been on the rise in Waterloo Region, which sat 70 per cent above the provincial average and 178 per cent above the national average in 2024.
"...while the number of instances of human trafficking had climbed in 2025, the number of charges has moved in the opposite direction."
Numbers from earlier this year, previously discussed during a WRPS board meeting in February, showed that the number of human trafficking occurrences rose from 87 in 2024 to 131 in 2025, with a total of 205 when prostitution is included.
Those details, combined with the latest figures from the annual report, show that while the number of instances of human trafficking had climbed in 2025, the number of charges has moved in the opposite direction.
Other notable drops seen between years included vehicle thefts, intimate partner violence, fatal and non-fatal overdoses, firearm seizures, speeding, canine deployments, shooting investigations, and homicides, with 4 cases in 2025 compared with 5 in 2024.
“As much as we are responsive and reactive and attentive to all those investigative needs, we continue to be focused on upstream partnering and preventative efforts through our Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan,” said Crowell.
“This board and our community hopefully is seeing that commitment through the course of our work.”
While a large majority of those impacted charges and incidents saw drops last year, one key area that saw an increase was impaired driving charges, jumping from 818 to 967 charges in 2025.
Another key area that saw an increase came from WRPS itself, with spending making a leap year-over-year. In 2025, the local service said it spent upwards of $222 million on staffing, up around $14 million from the year prior.
It comes as WRPS reported 889 sworn members of the force alongside 496 civilian professionals in 2025.
All in all, WRPS was called a total of 342,578 times from the beginning through to the end of last year, just slightly below what was seen in 2024 at 346,014 total calls.
“This report really reflects the work happening across the entire region,” Greeno stated.
“From our operational priorities to community engagement, to the well-being of our members, all with the goal of making sure people in Waterloo Region are safe and feel safe.”
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