The summer of 2022 left for many a bitter memory of gun violence and repeated shootings in the streets of Montreal. Data obtained from the SPVM reveal, however, that there were fewer crimes and events involving guns this summer than during the 2021 summer season. However, the figures also show that the years 2021 and 2022 were the scene more armed violence in the metropolis than the previous three.
The balance sheet for the months of June, July and August 2022 includes 15 attempted murders with firearms and 32 discharges of weapons, according to data from the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM). This is down from the same months in 2021 which saw 20 attempted murders and 46 discharges.
However, the summer of 2022 had one more firearm homicide than in 2021: 7 to 6.
According to SPVM data collection methods, attempted murder means that there was an intention to kill, without necessarily causing injury. The discharge indicates an event in which bullets were fired, which can be against a building or in the air.
In addition, it should be noted that the figures requested from the SPVM only covered certain types of crimes committed with firearms. Thus, the data does not include crimes committed using edged weapons such as knives, which have been used in several murders this year. They also do not include sexual assaults committed with weapons or robberies, because the compilation of these crimes does not distinguish with what type of weapon they were committed.
Yet in 2022, gun crime captured the spotlight throughout the summer: even before the provincial election campaign was officially launched, gun violence was taking center stage. The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, has also made several outings and announcements to offer solutions to this concern of the population, as has the SPVM.
University of Montreal criminology professor Rémi Boivin was not surprised to see the data that compares the summers of 2022 and 2021. Crime has generally been on the decline since the 1990s, he said.
He believes that the attention given to this type of crime with firearms is the result of several factors, for example, the fact that there have been young victims – teenagers – in addition to random shootings, without forgetting the provincial electoral campaign which was beginning.
“It was the perfect storm”
Last year, public concern was rekindled by the shock of the death of two teenagers: in February 2021, Meriem Boundaoui, 15, died of bullets that were not intended for him. Same thing for 16-year-old Thomas Trudel, fatally injured in November 2021 near his home.
Mayor Valérie Plante set up the Montreal Forum for the Fight Against Armed Violence to identify possible solutions. The exercise also had the effect of keeping gun violence in people’s minds, as well as fueling media reports.
The issue of firearm violence remains “important and serious”, says Professor Boivin, but remains marginal compared to all the crimes committed in the metropolis each year.
Armed violence, which caused random collateral victims, however, affected people’s sense of security. In short, their perceptions of the situation, especially for those who do not live in Montreal, continued the professor, who hopes that this does not obscure the other social problems facing the metropolis.
To better compare, let’s go back a bit, with the years 2020, 2019 and 2018. Comparing 5 crime years shows that the summers of 2021 and 2022 saw more violence than the previous three.
Thus, for the 7 firearm murders committed in the summer of 2022, there were 6 in 2021 and less in 2020 (1), 2019 (1) and 2018 (2).
Attempted murders in the summer season were also higher in the past two years than in previous years, a curve also followed by discharges of firearms: 2022 (32), 2021 (47), 2020 (23), 2019 ( 15) and 2018 (18).
And to ensure that the summer data does not distort the annual portrait, the category totals were also obtained from the SPVM.
They show that 2021 and 2022 saw more gun crime than the previous three years — but also that 2021 was more violent in this regard than 2022 — except that the data for November and December are not yet compiled. . In short, 2022 still has the possibility of dethroning 2021.
Thus, for the 16 and 19 firearm murders in Montreal for 2022 and 2021, there were fewer in 2020 (6), 2019 (10) and 2018 (13).
As for attempted murder by rifle, rifle or handgun, we also note that their number is lower before 2022 (43), 2021 (52) and 2020 (57): the SPVM noted 33 in 2019 and 34 in 2018. Ditto for firearm discharges: there were 49 in 2018, 41 in 2019, 71 in 2020, while the total exceeded one hundred in 2021 (144) and 2022 (116).