The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) published its annual report on Tuesday, which states that in 2021 there were 144 events in which a gun was fired, double the number of 2020 (71).
Reports from 2020, 2021 and 2022 (January to April) from the RCMP’s National Firearms Law Enforcement Support Team, obtained by Radio-Canada, confirm this increase, while offering a more detailed picture of the situation.
Analysis of the event data shows the ongoing intensity and frequency of gun use eventsreading the report in 2021.
In these reports, we summarize the events where guns were used in Montreal. Cases preserved in RCMP reports include those where there is physical evidence that a weapon was fired (casings or ammunition fired, projectiles or guns at the scene and victims with bullet wounds).
In particular, we have noticed that the number of events where gunshots have been reported increased significantly between 2020 and 2021. The number of homicides with guns is also increasing.
There is no argument; the data is present. There is a significant increase [d’événements avec armes à feu]. Is he worried? Yessaid Marc Ouimet, full professor in the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal.
Demonstrations of strength
In 2020, the RCMP noted in its report a dramatic increase in the frequency of cases of violence with guns in Montreal, as well as dramatic changes in the nature of events and its intensity.
In 215 events from 2020 to 2022 where police found casings at the scene, in 15% of cases, there were more than ten casings.
It turns out that the number of events where a lot of gunfire has been made is increasing. There were 11 cases with more than 10 casings found on the scene in 2020, then 22 in 2021 and 9 already in 2022. It was in Montreal-North and Rivière-des-Prairies where there were the most events with the most shots.
The number of drive-by shootings (drive by) also seems to be rising; from 8 in 2020 to 12 in 2021. From January to April 2022, there will be 9.
RCMP reports indicate that many events are showing force. Mr. agrees. Ouimet.
” The rest now is what you do with the gun. We lower the weapon towards a house, a car, to send messages and to increase our credibility. This is a new phenomenon. “
According to the SPVM, half of the homicides and attempted murders in Montreal involve the possession or use of a firearm.
Killings where a gun is present or in use will triple in 2021, according to RCMP data. The number of gun murder attempts has remained relatively stable.
According to Mr. Ouimet, due to the increasing number of events involving firearms, surprisingly no more homicide.
The red light districts
According to Mr. Ouimet, Montreal remains one of the safest large cities in the world. On the other hand, what has changed is the fact that the population is increasingly faced with this violence.
Mr. Ouimet believes that we should not only think about the number of victims, but about the impact of these events on the population.
People are traumatized when they see shooting scenes. Leaking a gun into a house is disastrous. And often hearing gunshots at night brings insecurity and anxiety.
On this topic, the SPVM report states that the number of calls from citizens about gunshots will increase by 30% between 2020 and 2021. We are seeing an increase in baseless calls, added criminologist Maria Mourani. People react to fireworks, flat tires. And that is because they are not safe.
In 2020, in four neighborhoods (L’Île-des-Soeurs, Lachine, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal), the RCMP did not identify any events involving firearms. In 2021, all neighborhood police stations in Montreal recorded at least one event. By 2022, almost every sector has already experienced one.
The neighborhoods east and north of the city have the most events with weapons: Montréal-Nord, Rivière-des-Prairies, Saint-Léonard and Saint-Michel have more than twenty events each in 2021.
There will be a sharp increase in events between 2020 and 2021 in Rivière-des-Prairies, Saint-Léonard and Saint-Michel, Pointe-Saint-Charles and on the Côte-des-Neiges.
It confirms what I see on the ground; in 2021, this happened in territories where several street gangs clashedsaid Maria Mourani. Most of the hunt in 2021 will be the many gang conflicts. Some gangs are making a fuss.
Mr. Ouimet regrets the fact that poor neighborhoods continue to be the center of these events. This insecurity is an additional burden that we impose on populations that are already struggling.lament of Mr. Ouimet.
The RCMP also states a rapid diversity of sources of illegal firearms at an increase in the quality and sophistication of the guns available.
The most common weapons seen in the scenes were 9mm caliber (141 cases), followed by .30 caliber weapons (38 cases) and .45 caliber (28 cases). There was a sharp increase in events with .45 caliber weapons and 9 mm.
This shows that most of the weapons used by criminal groups and gangs are handguns, followed by automatic weapons.said Maria Mourani.
Montreal, faced with a new problem
If we compare Montreal data from the RCMP with data from the city of Toronto (New window)we note that the number of events per 100,000 inhabitants during the use of firearms is still lower in the Quebec metropolis.
” Montreal follows Toronto. Toronto has had this problem for 10-15 years. The gun culture in Montreal is relatively new. “
This is why Mr. Ouimet and Ms. Mourani that we must face the problem now.
We are not Toronto or New York. But we haven’t seen that in Montreal yet. There is a problem that should not be taken lightly, said Ms. Mourani. Playing ostrich could lead Montreal into a situation endemic like in Toronto, he believes. It’s not normal and it shouldn’t be normal.
The federal government recently announced a to freeze national report on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns in Canada and the entry of new guns into Canada. On the other hand, people who already own guns can keep them, he added.
SPVM states in its annual report that it seized 628 firearms in 2021 and 744 in 2020.
However, Mr. Ouimet believes that these measures are Nonsense. We attack the laws [sur les armes] and we think something will change that. The majority of firearms used at these events were not legally purchased firearms, Mr. Ouimet said. There is no connection between the sale of the weapon and those who shoot.
According to him, it is rather necessary to increase pressure on criminal groups and to increase the legal consequences, although these recommendations are not always popular.
For her part, Mrs. believes. Mourani that the police deficit should be financed, increase preventive interventions and strengthen the image of the police. The police were badly abused in the media. And now, what I’m being told is that before taking a preventive intervention, the police will think about it. They are afraid to find themselves on the web, filmed, on social networks, accused of racial profiling. So they averted their eyes and did not take any chances. The consequences of that? Gang guys walk down the street with impunity with guns because they know they can’t be arrested early.
In collaboration with Daniel Boily
Source: Radio-Canada
