More police officers doesn't mean less crime, figures show

Having more police officers in Winnipeg does not necessarily result in less crime, according to numbers from the city's police force.

The Manitoba government announced the addition of six street patrol officers to the Winnipeg Police Service earlier this week, as part of an effort to fight crime more effectively.

In light of the announcement, the CBC's John Sadoway examined crime statistics and found no clear, direct link between an increase in the number of officers and a decrease in crimes such as homicide, assaults and theft.

Check out some of those statistics in the interactive graphic above.

"The first thing we need to recognize is that the number of police officers that a city has is only one part of the equation," said Steve LaFleur, a policy analyst with the Frontier Centre.

"Crime's a very complex issue — there are a lot of different factors — and when it comes to police staffing and general practices, how you use police officers matters at least as much as how many you have."

But police Chief Devon Clunis said the new officers can "make a significant difference" by bringing together neighbourhood resources to help address the root causes of crime.

"I've been having a number of community forums and what people are asking for is just that constant presence, for example, of a beat officer — somebody that they will get to know," he said.

"Now that officer [is] able to build that community, bring people together different resources to help that community. So I think one officer can make a significant difference when they're deployed effectively and in the right area."

Hear Sadoway's full report on Information Radio at 8:10 a.m. today (Friday) on CBC Radio One.