The Sarnia Police Service says crime severity in the city dropped to its lowest point ever in 2025, offering a turnaround from a difficult 2024 that saw a spike in violence.
Statistics Canada released its annual Crime Severity Index on July 22, and the local numbers were posted by police on July 27. The overall index and the non-violent index both hit their lowest levels since police began tracking the data this way.
The violent crime index also fell sharply, returning to numbers not seen since 2019. That is a major shift from 2024, when Sarnia’s violent crime severity rose 11.5 percent. Last year’s record high was driven largely by four homicides, an unusually high number for the city of roughly 75,000 people.
Sarnia’s improvement came as crime severity declined across the country. The national index fell 5 percent to 75.01 in 2025, its second straight annual decrease after a long upward trend. Ontario’s index dropped 6.2 percent to 57.2, with violent crime down 8.7 percent and non-violent crime down 4.7 percent.
Sarnia police also reported that their record-high clearance rates continued to climb. In 2024, police solved 56 percent of crimes, up from 45 percent the year before. That number rose again in 2025, with increases in every category.
The positive news comes during a period of leadership change at the Sarnia Police Service. Chief Derek Davis has been suspended with pay since May 19, 2026, while an outside investigation looks into a workplace harassment complaint. Deputy Chief Michael VanSickle, a Sarnia native who has spent his entire career with the local force, initially served as acting chief. Mike Federico, a former Toronto deputy chief, was appointed interim chief in June 2026.
The Crime Severity Index weighs offences by how serious they are, based on court sentencing data. A base year of 2006 is set at 100. While Sarnia’s numbers have improved, the city has historically ranked in the top 25 percent of Canadian municipalities for overall crime severity.
