Murders, attempted murders and shootings, more and more minors with firearms, crimes against property also on the rise: crime in Laval is now similar to that of a large metropolis, but the police managed to contain it in 2022.
“We consider ourselves a mini-metropolis. We have issues like those of Montreal and, all things considered, we are in the same places as them, ”says Jean-François Rousselle, assistant director and head of investigations at the Service de police de Laval (SPL), third city in terms of population in Quebec with 466,000 inhabitants.
As of December 19, ten murders, including five by firearm, had been committed in Laval this year, compared to two last year, or five times more.
As in 2021, crimes against the person increased by 25% in Jesus Island in the first nine months of this year and crimes against property, by 17%, in particular due to the thefts of vehicles which have been present throughout 2022, but which literally exploded at the end of the year.
The violent crime severity index in Laval established by Statistics Canada increased by 7.52% in 2021.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jean-François Rousselle, assistant director and head of investigations at the Service de police de Laval (SPL)
Although there has been no increase in youth violence, young people aged 16 and 17, who make up 2.75% of Laval society, were represented in 8.59% of shooting cases. and possession of a firearm from 2019 to 2022.
“Faced with the phenomenon of urban violence, we are constantly evolving to maintain our ability to curb crime. With the complexity of investigations and legal proceedings, this puts a lot of pressure on the work teams. Our police officers work extremely hard and are committed, even in difficult circumstances. We feel that the machine is working with the pedal at the bottom,” describes Mr. Rousselle.
Marked declines
In 2022, Laval police have therefore given priority to cases of armed violence and crimes with vulnerable victims.
They focused on individuals known in their territory to be the most violent and attacked their sources of funding such as marijuana plantations, drug trafficking and fraud.
They launched a three-pronged strategy dubbed Paradox to combat gun violence and arrested, among others, half a dozen members and connections of the Flameheads, a Laval street gang known to be belligerent and involved in conflict. with other groups.
Results: 23 firearm discharges had been recorded by December 16 in 2022, compared to 42 for the whole of 2021, a decrease of 49%.
For the same period, there were 11 attempted murders in 2022, while there were 18 for the 12 months of 2021.
By mid-December 2022, 76 casings had been fired, compared to 205 for the whole of 2021, a decrease of 63%.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
A man was arrested at the Chomedey Inn hotel after firing shots into the air at the Skratch bar in Laval last May
In addition, 45 individuals had been arrested as of December 16 of this year for firearm incidents, an increase of 18% compared to last year.
Finally, 55 firearms had been seized as of December 16, an increase of 34% compared to 2021 and a record for the SPL.
“Of course, for us, this has an impact on the feeling of security. It shows that our police actions worked. Our police officers put a lot of ardor into their work and the direct effect of this work are these statistics; 63% less casings fired, it is also 63% less possible collateral damage. For us, it’s major, but at the same time, we remain cautious, because it’s a phenomenon that is so effervescent, unpredictable and volatile,” said assistant director Rousselle.
Roaming on the rise
The overrepresentation of minors in firearms cases in Laval is “concerned” to the highest degree by the police, who have also decided to tackle it preventively in 2022.
A police officer was already on duty at Saint-Maxime high school, but two others have been added to Curé-Antoine-Labelle and Mont-de-LaSalle high schools.
In addition, after receiving complaints about the presence of disturbing young people in a park, the police started a boxing project in which several minors joined, and the situation improved in the green space.
According to assistant director Rousselle, homelessness in Laval has increased by 30% in 2022, especially in the Chomedey and Pont-Viau districts, and the three organizations that can accommodate the homeless “are filled to the maximum” .
This increase brings its share of challenges for the police, who can count on a duo of social workers who support patrol officers for calls.
There are 620 police officers in Laval.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.