Gerald Grobmeier, shown during his swearing-in ceremony to become LPS deputy chief in 2022. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Crime up in Lethbridge, but still trending positively: LPS

Jan 30, 2026 | 1:07 PM

The Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) reports that crime violations have increased by a little over 10 per cent from one year ago, but it is not all doom and gloom.

Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier presented his report on crime data to the Lethbridge Police Commission this week, which covers the period from January 1 to September 30, 2025.

There was a total of 10,365 criminal violations in the first nine months of last year, which is up by 10.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.

However, that comes right after the city had a 16.1 per cent decline from 2023, meaning Lethbridge remains below its six-year average of 10,745 crimes.

“It’s still our second-lowest year,” says Grobmeier. “So, again, we had a very big drop last year, which is hard to maintain, so we’re seeing a bit of an increase this year, but [it’s] not significant.”

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READ MORE: Crime in Lethbridge down 16 per cent in 2024

The biggest area in which crime has increased is shoplifting, which rose by 61 per cent to 990 incidents.

He admits that part of the reason for this is the increased cost of living, compounded with stagnant wages. It is a problem being seen across much of Canada.

Another factor is enforcement.

“We’ve been able to staff our downtown patrol units in 2025 to levels it hasn’t seen in years, which has had an impact. We have a lot more members out on patrol, a lot more members doing proactive work, so sometimes, we’re actually catching people in the crime, which wasn’t happening before,” says Grobmeier.

He also cites improved relationships with downtown businesses as to why LPS is able to respond to more incidents like shoplifting, as well as the CompStat program specifically targeting prolific offenders and higher-crime areas.

READ MORE: Crimes involving prolific offenders down in Lethbridge thanks to data analysis tool

READ MORE: LPS launches new program to reduce reoffending rates for prolific offenders

However, Grobmeier tells LNN that shoplifters seem to be becoming more comfortable committing the act.

“The days of people walking through a store and kind of concealing items in their jacket and trying to walk out without anyone seeing them are over, says Grobmeier. “People are kind of just walking in and taking things in front of people and looking at them, going, ‘Go ahead, do something.’ The attitude has changed, and it’s much more brazen.”

On the other hand, the number of vehicles being stolen dropped by 23.8 per cent over the prior year to 173 thefts.

Grobmeier says he is pleased to see more people taking vehicle safety seriously, ensuring they are locking their doors and not leaving valuables in plain sight.

@lethbridgenewsnow Crime in Lethbridge up, but still below average. Learn more at LethbridgeNewsNow.com #YQL #LNN #Lethbridge #Alberta #News ♬ original sound – Lethbridge News Now

Downtown remains the city’s hot spot for crime, with approximately 4,000 criminal violations in the first three quarters of 2025, rising by 10.1 per cent.

However, the south side had the biggest increase in its crime rate at 18.1 per cent.

He attributes these rises to both the increase in shoplifting and the targeting of high-risk reoffenders.

Crime rose by 7.5 per cent in the north side, and by just 1.1 per cent in the west.

Going forward, Grobmeier tells LNN that continued use of targeted enforcement programs and monitoring prolific offenders will be some of LPS’ top priorities.

The full crime data report can be found on the Jan. 28, 2026, Lethbridge Police Commission agenda, starting at page 27.

Total crime volume in Lethbridge, Jan.-Sept. from 2019-2025. (Image Credit: Lethbridge Police Service)

Changes in crime volume in Lethbridge regions, Jan.-Sept. 2024 vs. 2025. (Image Credit: Lethbridge Police Service)