OPP reporting drop in property crimes in Wellington County

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Property-related crime is down in Wellington County for the second consecutive year.

From January through July, there were 604 recorded property crimes – including theft, fraud, break-ins, arson, mischief, and possession of stolen property – according to data presented by police to the county’s Wellington County OPP detachment board.

That’s down 28 per cent from the 843 property crimes during the same period in 2025, and 31% from 870 in 2024.

Wellington OPP spokesperson Matthew Burton stated in an email police can’t single out a sole contributor to the decline, but he pointed to crime prevention strategies such as community outreach and awareness initiatives, along with targeted investigations.

Those efforts, combined with increased patrol hours, have boosted police visibility and community engagement, Burton said.

“It is too soon to know whether this is the beginning of a trend or simply an isolated decrease in the numbers,” he added.

All property-related crimes except arson declined in the first seven months of the year, compared to 2025.

The biggest drop by cases was fraud, which fell to 162 occurrences from 258.
Theft under $5,000 fell to 195 from 234, mischief to 124 from 166, theft over $5,000 to 60 from 102, break-ins to 56 from 72, and possession/trafficking of stolen property to four from 10. Arson rose to three, from one.

Police have closed 89 (14.7%) of the 604 property crimes as of mid-August. That’s down from 96 during the same time last year, and from 133 in 2024, according to data calculated by the Advertiser.

A closed case doesn’t necessarily mean a suspect was charged or convicted, Burton noted. Police consider a case “cleared” when it’s no longer an active, unresolved investigation.

From January through July, property crime had the lowest clearance rate of any category in the detachment board report. Violent crime, by comparison, had a 65% clearance rate during the same seven-month period, and drug crime a 69% clearance rate.

“In many cases, police are investigating incidents after they have occurred, and there may be limited identifying information, witnesses, surveillance footage, forensic evidence, or suspect information available,” Burton said, explaining the relatively low clearance rate.

Offenders may also cross jurisdictional boundaries, contributing to the complexity of an investigation, Burton added.

The OPP said it will continue using proactive crime prevention, education and targeted enforcement to address property-related crime in the county.