Pilot program, community focus credited for decline in intimate partner violence in Windsor

The number of intimate partner violence cases in Windsor’s have fallen.

The Windsor Police Service (WPS) is tracking a decrease in the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) cases.

A report delivered during the Sept. 25 Windsor Police Service board meeting detailed that year-to-date, 35.8 per cent of all crimes against persons have been IPV-related — a year ago, the rate was above 40 per cent.

Windsor Police Deputy Chief Jason Crowley said the percentage is still too many but it’s the first significant decrease we’ve seen in over a year.

On Sept. 26, 2024, the service launched a pilot project with Windsor Regional Hospital, Hiatus House, and Family Services Windsor-Essex that has social workers paired with frontline officers to provide immediate, on-site support in cases where intimate partner violence has been identified.

According to Crowley, police have recognized certain areas of the city with the highest IPV numbers, which includes the Reginald neighbourhood.

“We’ve had some good news because we’ve put some strategies in place, and we’re seeing that decrease significantly right now. In fact, we went through a long period where we had no violent crime reported in the Reginald area, so good news there,” he says.

In May 2025, the service also put a focus on the Reginald Housing Complex on Reginald Street, not far from Ford Boulevard in east Windsor, which had become the site for the most violent crime calls to police, many related to IPV.

The focus included a care fair to help connect people in the neighbourhood with social and health services to address issues that can cause stress or lead to incidents of IPV.

Crowley said they’ve tried to get all their partners involved to connect people in neighbourhoods like Reginald with services to address issues that can lead to IPV.

“We’re still going to calls for service there, but then when we bring partners right to the door, without the police, because that’s the relationship we’ve now garnered with our partners and the community, they feel they can go without the police. It’s really showing a vast improvement in those kinds of calls,” he says.

In August alone, IPV-related assaults were down 34 per cent compared to July 2025.

— Rusty Thomson/AM800 News