Hamilton Police and Wilfrid Laurier University just surveyed 1,245 Hamilton residents about safety in their neighbourhoods. The results aren't great. Over half the city thinks things are getting worse. And the actual crime data backs them up.
The 2025 Hamilton Community Safety Survey ran from January through April. It asked people about break-ins, vehicle theft, vandalism, drug activity, and how safe they feel on their own street. The findings paint a picture of a city where residents are worried, property crime is a top concern, and a huge chunk of victims don't even bother calling police.
We've been installing home security systems and security cameras across Hamilton for over 35 years. Force Security is based right here. We know which areas have problems, which streets are getting targeted, and what the trends look like from year to year. Let's get into the numbers.
What the Data Actually Shows
Hamilton logged over 31,538 Criminal Code offences in 2023, a 9% jump from the year before. Emergency calls hit 263,042, up 16.5%. Police are busier than they've ever been, and the community can feel it.
Hamilton's Crime Severity Index sat at 66.2 in 2024, which is actually below the national average of 77.9. That sounds good on paper. But the CSI measures the weight of crimes, not how safe your neighbourhood feels at 11 PM. The survey tells a different story.
The top citizen-generated calls to Hamilton Police in 2023 were trespassers (7,090), suspicious persons (6,520), and domestic incidents (6,276). That's not a city that feels safe. That's a city calling 911 because someone's in their yard who shouldn't be there.
What 1,245 Hamilton Residents Are Worried About
This survey was conducted by Wilfrid Laurier University and funded by Hamilton Police. It's not some random online poll. This is a structured study with a real sample size, and the results are hard to ignore.
Let that sit for a second. More than half the people living in Hamilton think their neighbourhood is getting worse, not better. And 62.7% want more police presence. People don't ask for more cops when they feel safe.
Not All of Hamilton Feels the Same
The survey found a massive gap between how safe people feel depending on where they live. If you're in Flamborough, things seem fine. If you're downtown, it's a different world.
That said, 93.7% of all respondents said they feel safe outside during daytime. And 76% feel comfortable letting their kids play outside. So Hamilton isn't a war zone by any stretch. But there's a real and growing gap between the neighbourhoods that feel safe and the ones that don't. And property crime, especially break-ins and vehicle theft, is the thread that runs through almost every area.
Here's the thing about break-in crews. They don't just operate in the "bad" neighbourhoods. The east mountain break-in spree we just covered targeted a quiet residential area. The Project Dora crew was hitting suburban homes in Richmond Hill and Vaughan. These aren't random acts. They're planned operations, and the suburbs are often the easiest targets because nobody has cameras.
The Break-Ins Hamilton Police Never Hear About
This is the stat that should make everyone uncomfortable. According to the community safety survey, 43% of Hamilton residents experienced property theft in the past two years. But only 26% of them reported it to police.
For break-ins specifically, 59.5% of victims reported the incident. That's better. But it still means roughly 4 out of 10 break-ins in Hamilton never make it into the official numbers. Every break-in stat you see is an undercount. The real number is higher than what police publish. Every time.
Why don't people report? The usual reasons. They didn't think police would do anything. The loss wasn't big enough to deal with the hassle. They didn't have footage or evidence to provide. The process felt pointless.
And that last one is key. When you have security camera footage, you have something to give police. You have a face, a timestamp, maybe a plate number. People with cameras report at a much higher rate because they have actual evidence to hand over. Without cameras, it's just "someone broke in and took my stuff." With cameras, it's a case police can actually work.
Break-In Reporting in Hamilton
Based on 2025 Hamilton Community Safety Survey data
A Look at Ward 11 (Stoney Creek, Upper Stoney Creek)
Hamilton publishes crime data by ward through individual monthly reports. Ward 11, which covers parts of Stoney Creek and Upper Stoney Creek, released its 2025 year-in-review with the full breakdown. It gives us a window into what's happening at the neighbourhood level.
Ward 11: 2025 Property Crime Breakdown
That's 452 property crimes in a single ward, above the five-year average of 398. Ward 11 isn't even one of the highest-crime areas in Hamilton. It's a suburban, residential part of the city. If Ward 11 is putting up those numbers, think about what downtown and the lower city look like.
The 31 break-and-enters in Ward 11 alone represent just one of Hamilton's 15 wards. Scale that across the whole city and factor in the 40% of break-ins that never get reported, and you start to see why 55% of residents are worried about their homes.
Source: Hamilton Police Service Ward Reports and Ward 11 2025 Year in Review. Full ward-by-ward data is published monthly at hamiltonpolice.on.ca/ward-reports.
It's Not Just Property Crime
The survey found 45% of residents worried about gun violence in their neighbourhood. That concern is grounded in reality. Hamilton hit a record 53 shootings in 2024, blowing past the 35 recorded in 2023. That's a 51% jump in one year.
None of this happens in a vacuum. When violent crime goes up, property crime follows. The same people committing break-ins are often connected to broader criminal networks. The Project Dora arrests in York Region showed that clearly: organized crime charges on top of 14 break-ins. And the ten-suspect crew that hit Queen Street West in Toronto operated more like a heist team than a couple of petty thieves.
The takeaway is simple. Hamilton isn't getting safer fast enough for the people who live here. The CSI might be dipping slightly year over year, but when more than half the city feels like their neighbourhood is going in the wrong direction, the stats only tell part of the story.
How to Actually Protect Your Hamilton Home
Police can't be on every street. They said it themselves in the survey results. So what do you do? You make your home a bad target. You install the kind of security that makes someone walk past your house and break into the one without cameras instead.
HD Security Cameras
Exterior cameras covering every entry point. Connected to video monitoring with offsite recording. Catch faces, plates, and timestamps. Give police something to actually work with when something happens.
24/7 Monitored Alarm
Door sensors, window sensors, motion detection, glass break. The second someone forces entry, your monitored alarm fires. Our ULC-listed monitoring station dispatches police immediately. Not after five minutes. Immediately.
Smart Video Doorbell
The east mountain break-in suspect rang doorbells before forcing entry. A smart doorbell catches that. You see who's at the door from anywhere, answer through the app, and record everything. The doorbell trick doesn't work when the doorbell is a camera.
AI-Powered Detection
AI detection knows a person from a car from an animal. Real alerts for real threats. No more ignoring your notifications because they go off every time a cat crosses the driveway.
Smart Locks with Tamper Alerts
Smart locks tell you instantly if someone tampers with your door. Lock and unlock remotely. Full access log on your phone. You always know the status of every entry point in your home.
Fire, Flood, and Environmental
24/7 fire monitoring, flood sensors in the basement, smart thermostats that warn you before pipes freeze. A break-in isn't the only thing that can wreck your house overnight.
"55% of Hamilton residents are worried about break-ins. 40% of break-in victims don't even report it. And most of the homes in this city have no alarm at all. That's the gap we're trying to close."
Commercial Break-Ins Are Surging Too
Hamilton Police specifically flagged a surge in commercial break-ins in recent months, with family restaurants getting hit particularly hard. If your business sits empty at night, you need a commercial alarm system and video monitoring. Period.
Access control systems let you track who enters your building and when. Business alarms backed by ULC-listed monitoring mean police response the moment someone tries to get in. And if you've got a construction site with exposed materials overnight, that's an even bigger magnet.
We've Been Protecting Hamilton Since 1988
Force Security is a Canadian, family-owned company based right here in the Hamilton area. When the survey says residents want more protection, we're the ones who show up and build it.
- You call, a real person answers. Someone who knows your system and your address.
- No long-term contracts. We earn your business every month.
- No cost upfront options to get you protected without a big initial bill.
- Every install done by our own certified local technicians. Not a subcontractor passing through.
- ULC-listed monitoring. The gold standard in Canada.
- PowerG+ wireless technology. Most reliable panels on the market.
Check our reviews, read about our Readers' Choice Award, or meet the team. We've been at this for over 35 years.
Get a Free Security Assessment for Your Hamilton Home
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Book Your Free AssessmentFrequently Asked Questions
What did the 2025 Hamilton Community Safety Survey find?
The survey, conducted by Wilfrid Laurier University with 1,245 respondents, found that 51% of Hamilton residents believe their neighbourhood is becoming more dangerous. 55% are worried about home break-ins, 68% about vehicle theft, and 56% about vandalism. Downtown Hamilton had the lowest safety perception, while Flamborough had the highest.
How many crimes were reported in Hamilton in 2023?
Hamilton Police recorded over 31,538 Criminal Code offences in 2023, a 9% increase from the previous year. Emergency calls hit 263,042, up 16.5%. The city's Crime Severity Index for 2024 sat at 66.2, which is below the national average of 77.9 but still reflects significant criminal activity.
What percentage of break-ins in Hamilton go unreported?
According to the survey, about 40% of break-in victims in Hamilton did not report the incident to police. For general property theft, the unreported rate was even worse: 74% of victims stayed quiet. That means the official crime stats significantly undercount the actual number of property crimes happening in the city.
Which Hamilton neighbourhoods have the most crime?
The survey identified downtown Hamilton as the area with the lowest safety perception, driven by concerns about homelessness, drug activity, and property crime. Ward 11 (Stoney Creek/Upper Stoney Creek) recorded 452 property crimes in 2025 including 31 break-and-enters and 92 auto thefts. Full ward-by-ward data is available through Hamilton Police ward reports.
How much does a home security system cost in Hamilton?
It depends on the size of your home and what you need. Force Security offers no-cost-upfront alarm systems so you can get protected without a big upfront payment. Monthly monitoring is affordable and there are no long-term contracts. Contact us for a free quote.
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