Ottawa police see spike in shoplifting reports

An Ottawa Police vehicle is seen behind police tape. (CTV News Ottawa)

Shoplifting accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all online crime reports to the Ottawa Police Service in the spring.

A new report for the Ottawa Police Service Board shows there were 7,920 online crime reports to police in the second quarter, a 28 per cent increase from the five-year, second-quarter average of 6,210.

Police say shoplifting accounted for over 38 per cent of all reports received online.

"In the second quarter of 2024, there was an increase in shoplifting of 19 per cent compared to 2023 Q2," police say. "Other reports frequently received online include traffic complaints (11 per cent of Q2 online reports) as well as mischief to property (5 per cent) and theft from vehicle (5 per cent).

The Ottawa Police Service received 98,760 demands for service in the second quarter through both calls for service and online reporting. Staff say that's up two per cent over the five-year average of 96,700.

In the first three months of 2024, shoplifting reports accounted for 44 per cent of all crime reports received through the Ottawa Police Service's online reporting tool.

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Drop in false 9-1-1 calls

Ottawa police say there was a 53 per cent drop in fake 9-1-1 calls in the spring.

Police have said the increase in calls for service last year was driven in part by calls initially coded as a false 9-1-1. There were 48,450 false 9-1-1 calls in the spring of 2023.

"After making coordinated efforts to engage various manufacturers in North America and Europe, the automatic SOS function in Android devices, which had caused abnormally high levels of 911 calls, was fixed. The update to address this issue was rolled out during 2023 Q4," police said.