Investing in domestic violence prevention in Calgary would save millions of taxpayer dollars: UCalgary report

Without spending on preventative measures, domestic violence in Calgary will continue to cost taxpayers millions of dollars, according to new research from the University of Calgary released Monday.

This is the third report of the Project to End Domestic Violence series from the School of Public Policy that looks at 2019 data of domestic violence in the city.

It finds that male-perpetrated domestic violence increases costs to policing, courts, and correctional services, which were around $52.5 million to taxpayers, adjusting for inflation, in 2024. An additional $5.4 million in costs for the victims, including time in hospital, shelter, victim services and supports for transition out of the home, totals just under $58 million.

“Domestic violence is a complex public safety issue that requires a community-led solution,” said Calgary Police Service (CPS) deputy chief Asif Rashid.

“While enforcement is necessary to keep victims and our community safe, the real progress comes from working with community-based organizations and researchers to prevent violence before it happens.”

According to a 10-year data-set from CPS, 88 per cent of cases with charges were perpetrated by men, 607 had one or more domestic encounters before arrest, and 452 had one or more criminal charges before facing a domestic violence-related charge. It also says those men amounted to 2,400 charges before their domestic violence-related charge, making for 5.4 charges per perpetrator.

The report finds that when factoring in the increased resources, time and effort required when a charge is laid, nearly 14,000 domestic encounters cost the police $21.2 million, or $44 million in 2024 values.

On the criminal court front, 934 domestic or interpersonal charges cost over $4.7 million in court and legal fees. When combining the average court cost per case, adjusted for 2024 inflation, court costs reached around $2 million; prosecution costs totalled $1.6 million; and the average legal aid for the cases reached a little over $1.1 million.

When it comes to the 934 victims, costs reached around $5.4 million due to the severity of the crime and the impacts on the victims. Those include 201 cases involving a weapon causing bodily harm, 33 forcible confinement, 25 cases of sexual assault or sexual assault causing bodily harm, and two attempted murders.

“It is assumed that the higher severity rating not only requires more policing effort, but these offences also result in more serious injuries as well as greater lasting impacts on the victims. These in turn result in family upheaval and accessing more government-funded community services and supports,” the report reads.

A review of the literature reveals that had the city adopted a community or policing cautioning process program, it would only cost the city $1.2 million annually. It also says that if a program like that were in place, the city could have saved $93 million in the years up to 2024.

“Investing in prevention is not only the right thing to do, it’s the fiscally responsible choice,” said the lead author of the report, Lana Wells, who also chairs the Brenda Strafford.

“Preventing male perpetration of domestic violence reduces costs to taxpayers and, more importantly, prevents the harm experienced by women and children in families and communities.”

The report says it found programs like CARA can reduce repeat domestic violence by an average of 40 per cent, and says Alberta could explore practices in other jurisdictions “to strengthen local responses to domestic violence.”

“This approach aims to address the root causes of the offender’s behaviour, prevents the person from being charged, which is expensive, and more importantly, prevents further domestic violence,” the report reads.

“This evidence-based practice highlights the potential for targeted early interventions to lower reoffending rates and reduce the overall burden on the justice system.”

In the first nine months of 2025, 3,592 domestic incidents were reported to Calgary police. The five-year average over the same time period was 3,163.

Domestic conflict incidents from January to September of the same year reached 14,616 — higher than the five-year average of 14,193.

Calgarians experiencing abuse or violence in an intimate or family relationship are always encouraged to reach out for help. Victims of domestic violence can contact CPS anytime by calling the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or 9-1-1 if you are in immediate danger.