Last year’s tally marks up a jump of nearly 41 per cent from 352 in 2021.
May 23, 2026 3 min read
The number of Hamilton youths involved in violent crime reached a five-year high in 2025, new statistics show.
The uptick seen in police data released Thursday — which showed rises in violent crime, assaults, weapons possession and thefts — comes as deadly shootings and youth program funding cuts intensify calls to provide more prevention-focused supports for at-risk children.
According to a report presented to the city’s police board Thursday, there were 1,147 youth aged 12 to 17 involved in crime last year, up 19.6 per cent from 959 in 2024. The five-year average is 979.8.
Incidents of assault (164, up 7.9 per cent from 2024), assault with a weapon (116, up 38.1 per cent) and robbery (74, up 8.8 per cent) were the most common type of violent crimes, the data showed.
While broader youth crime categories showed modest year-over-year gains — property crime rose 10.2 per cent — the same wasn’t the case for increases by offence type: All but one of the 15 offences listed in the report recorded annual increases.
Among them, and beyond the aforementioned violent crime offences, were mischief (102, up 25.9 per cent), theft of motor vehicle (41, up 41.4 per cent), possession of stolen property over $5,000 (34, up 70 per cent), theft under $5,000 (28, up 86.7 per cent) and motor vehicle collisions (26, up 116.7 per cent).
The largest jump by offence type was possession of weapons, which rose a staggering 265.2 per cent, to 84 in 2025 from 23 in 2024.
“We’re not surprised to see and hear that numbers are up. We’ve been concerned for a while,” said Denise Scott, senior director of children, youth and family services, at the non-profit Wesley.
Social service agencies who work with young offenders and at-risk youth have warned the kids they see today face far more complex problems and are involved in more serious crime — including organized crime — than ever before.
And youth organizations need help, Scott said.
Many of them, including Wesley, face a significant gap after the recent discontinuance of the federal Building Safer Communities Fund, which affected nine youth-serving agencies focused on violence prevention, outreach, mentorship and gang prevention.
“At Wesley, we have the capacity to expand existing programs if there was further investment,” Scott said. “We need to have programs in the community that specifically work on violence, guns and gangs, in addition to programs that just serve youth in general.”
The issue of youth supports came to the forefront last month after 16-year-old Nabil Askafe was gunned down in a Jackson Square entrance way, allegedly by a 14-year-old-boy now charged with second-degree murder. Six days later, Talon Williams-Parkin, 19, was killed in an “exchange of gunfire” at 191 Main St. W.
In response to the killings, city council passed a motion pitched by Mayor Andrea Horwath on May 13 to bring a new “youth wellness hub” to Hamilton.
Scott called the hub exciting and said cross-sectoral collaboration of resources is a good thing but it’s not the be all and end all.
“We don’t know what timeline we’re looking at with the hub and it’s not something that may be imminent. It’s something we should work toward, but there needs to be more supports that are happening now.”
There is no single reason for the rise in youth violent crime. Experts point to multiple factors: the pandemic, which increased isolation and, for some, exposure to abuse; absent or overwhelmed parents; the influence of social media; and easier access to weapons.
Acting Insp. Dave McKenzie told the police board on Thursday, it’s easy to look at the annual data and say youth crime is up.
“I totally agree — that’s what the stats say,” he said. “But when you start to see what we’re doing as a police service and community, we’re doing work to mitigate that.”
From a policing standpoint, McKenzie said the service is interrupting pathways into crime, not just reacting to it.
Consider: Of the 1,147 youth involved in crime in 2025, about 58 per cent weren’t charged and instead received what’s known as an “extrajudicial measure.” Police use this tool, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, to address a youth’s behaviour outside the court system.
On violent crime, around 70 per cent of youth involved were diverted.
“This tells us we are identifying youth early and we are interrupting behaviour before it escalates and that enforcement remains focused on serious violence and high-risk, repeat offenders,” McKenzie said.
While the 91 youths who were referred to diversion programs in 2025 marked a 40 per cent increase from 2024, McKenzie noted the completion rate for those kids was nearly 98 per cent.
“Only two kids failed their diversion program — that’s a strong return on investment,” he said.
“Fewer court cases, fewer repeat offenders. This is evidence-based success.”
