Police responded to almost 5,000 assaults in Mississauga and Brampton last year

2021 was a busy year for crime in Mississauga and Brampton, according to newly released police data.

Peel Regional Police released their 2021 crime data today (June 30), listing the various incidents police responded to last year: Crimes against persons, crimes against property, drug offences, and driving offences.

Police say there were a total of 9,214 crimes against persons in 2021, up from 8,574 in 2020.

That number includes 4,992 assaults (non-sexual), 14 homicides, 23 attempted murders, 1,067 sexual violations, 581 robberies, 174 other violent crimes, 106 threatening/harassing phone calls, 327 criminal harassment incidents, and 1,719 threats uttered.

There were 22,399 crimes against property reported in 2021, down from 23,325 in 2020.

Police report 2,015 break and enters, 4,119 motor vehicle thefts, 10,149 thefts over and under $5,000, 3,967 thefts from vehicles, 3,022 shoplifting incidents, 2,251 fraud incidents, 3,077 mischief incidents, and 43 arsons.

Drug offences also decreased in 2021, with 1,580 drug-related incidents in 2021 compared to 1,633 in 2020. Of those 1,580 incidents, 1,177 were related to possession while 403 were related to trafficking, production and distribution.

Police noted a total of 2,859 total driving offences (up from 2,652 in 2020), with 1,082 impaired driving incidents, 546 dangerous operation, and 1,112 other driving offences.

There were 119 incidents of a driver failing or refusing to provide a breath or blood sample.

As for the number of people charged, police say they charged a total of 12,116 people in 2021 — 11,615 adults and 501 youth.

The breakdown of charges per crime is as follows:

In comparison to the year prior, police note a 7% increase in crimes against persons, an 8% increase in robberies without a weapon, and a slight 3% increase in break and enters at businesses.

However, there were drops in some areas of crime when compared to 2020: A 4% decrease in crimes against property, a 3% decrease in drug offences, 11% less total robberies, 24% less armed robberies, and 30% less residential break and enters.

In the coming months, police are expected to release a separate report which will include information on how many incidents involved police using force in 2021.

All data courtesy of Peel Regional Police