The rise in gun violence in Montreal is not just an impression. In the past year, the SPVM recorded 144 discharges of firearms, or one every 2.5 days, compared to 71 for the year 2020.
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This is one of the points that emerges from the annual report of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), which will be officially presented on Wednesday to the City’s Public Security Commission.
In 2021, 19 people were killed by a firearm, compared to six for the previous year.
The report further states that for 2021, a firearm was present in 516 crimes against the person, of all types, where there is “mention, presence or use of a firearm”.
“Montreal has faced an increase in armed violence on your territory”, is it noted in the report.
“His recurrence highlights the importance of forming a united front […]. It is indeed by sharing responsibility that we can act in the interest of the community”.
The volume of calls from citizens about them has also increased, by 30%, between 2020 and 2021. “Beyond a real increase in incidents of this type, we can think that the population is also more inclined to communicate with the SPVM when she heard gunshots,” the report explained.
The trivialization of weapons on social networks also seems to be confirmed, while the files of this type handled by the Cyber Investigation Module have increased by 68% in the last year.
Property crime down
Despite a dramatic 44% increase in motor vehicle thefts over the past five years, overall property crime has declined markedly.
In particular, breaking and entering fell from 9,766 in 2016 to 5,072 in 2021. Simple thefts are also down by 17%.
“Although a drop in this type of offense has been observed for a few years, the pandemic seems to have accelerated the trend to this effect”, it is noted.
The report hypothesizes that the preponderance of telework and the presence of citizens at home due to health instructions may have contributed to this marked decrease.
The increase in the number of vehicle thefts is of concern to the SPVM, however, as the increase has been noticed in recent years.
“Technological advances, the refinement of the tools used as well as the scarcity of vehicles and parts due to the pandemic explain, in part, this significant increase”, is it mentioned in the report.
Canadians: Expensive Series
The presence of the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 has had repercussions as far as the SPVM.
In its annual report, the police department says the playoffs are responsible for 4.5% of the costs for all public events in 2021.
As a reminder, the police had to intervene on a few occasions while the gatherings during match evenings experienced several overflows.
