River Heights residents feel sting of increased property crimes

Shane Grooby loves River Heights, but reports about break-ins, vandalism and theft in the neighbourhood, coupled with police statistics that show an uptick in criminal incidents last year, make him wonder if he should install cameras.

“We moved to this area because it’s a great neighbourhood to raise a family,” Grooby said.

“You come through here in the day and you see kids playing in their front yard, you’ve got the parks full — but it’s almost like when the witching hour comes, the evil comes out.”

The Winnipeg Police Service released data Wednesday that shows overall crime increased by 14.3 per cent in River Heights from 2024 and 2025.

The report did not detail the number of crimes reported to police — and a WPS spokesperson said those figures were not available Wednesday — but the data showed 77 per cent of incidents involved property crimes.

Other police data show River Heights logged 4,174 property crimes and 5,469 total crimes from March 2025 to February 2026.

Grooby has not had any serious incidents since moving to Campbell Street last summer, but concerns about smashed windows, bike theft and garage break-ins have reached a fever pitch among his neighbours.

They have advised him to remove anything of value from his garage, install stronger locks and add surveillance around his home.

“We’re looking at spending probably close to $1,000 when you include the cameras, get a new door to beef it up — just to have peace of mind,” he said.

Kat Zeweniuk, 42, a life-long resident of River Heights, said she called police after a dishevelled man wandered into her Wellington Crescent home through an unlocked door one evening last summer. Another time, in 2022, someone stole underwear that was hanging on a clothes line and car keys before driving away in her Jeep.

The vehicle was recovered a few days later, full of stolen items, she said.

“I love my community, I love my neighbourhood, but it’s always in the back of my mind: How can we protect ourselves, how can we protect our property?” Zeweniuk said.

Matthew Pinette, who has lived on Lanark Street since August 2023, said a window of his vehicle was smashed overnight last fall.

“Every car parked on the street was smashed and then they came back a couple of days later and smashed all the ones that weren’t smashed yet,” Pinette said. “It was just smashing for no reason.”

David Bowman, WPS director of organizational development and support, helped compile and analyze the police data included in the 2025 report. He told reporters that increased reports of mischief and theft from motor vehicles drive up property crime.

“When I think about the environment of River Heights… you have that grid-like pattern in the neighbourhood, so it’s quite easy for a group of offenders, for instance, to make their way up and down. Not just the front streets, but the back lanes. There’s a lot of tree coverage in those areas,” Bowman said.

Pinette said community Facebook groups and group chats are alive with residents sharing stories about indiscriminate theft and destruction.

“There’s a lot of maybe general malaise or apathy toward reporting this stuff to police,” Pinette said, adding he wants police to increase patrols in the area.

River Heights Coun. John Orlikow said the issue is being discussed with police.

“I always find it completely unacceptable that people just don’t feel safe in their own neighbourhoods,” Orlikow said.

“The bottom line is, we need more police presence, especially in the evening.”

Orlikow said he meets with police officials monthly. He encouraged residents to continue filing police reports, to help reinforce the need for additional resources.

Nigel Moore, 48, said he’s not certain increased police presence is a suitable response.

Moore said he lived in the West End before relocating to Montrose Street eight years ago.

“It’s not even fair to compare them, I can tell you. There are parts of the city that have real problems, and then there are parts of the city that have problems, but a lot of it is perception. The stuff that we saw in the West End was really, really gritty,” Moore said.

The 2025 police report shows incidents of violent crime represented just eight per cent of all crimes reported River Heights.

The West End, meanwhile, encompasses many of Winnipeg’s roughest neighbourhoods. While living there, Moore was once the victim of a “brutal” robbery in which he was pistol-whipped, he said.

“There are problems (in River Heights), but in my view it’s mostly garage break-ins and property crime. We have become victims of that, but it’s not murders, it’s not stepping over needles on a daily basis.”

Moore said there should be more investment in programs to treat addictions, homelessness and poverty.

“Why are people infiltrating our neighbourhood looking for bikes?” Moore said.

“There are larger issues that people of privilege, like us, should be contributing to or trying to help.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca