The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) reports another drop in armed violence in the streets of the metropolis: during the first five months of 2024, firearm discharges, murders and attempted murders with a gun decreased by 24% compared to the same period last year.
These statistics, however, do not include summer data: traditionally, there has been more gun violence during the months of June, July and August.
But for the Montreal police force, the decrease is a reflection of their efforts and constitutes a second consecutive: the total events involving firearms in 2023 represented a drop of 26% compared to 2022, a violent year which had marked Montrealers .
Despite this drop in armed violence for the beginning of 2024, SPVM spokesperson Inspector David Shane promises that his officers will remain “vigilant”: a sudden increase unfortunately remains possible, he says.
The SPVM and various units will continue to tackle this on several fronts, namely police visibility, criminal investigations, prevention and intelligence.
The Montreal police force also announced that it had seized 275 firearms between 1er January 2024 and May 31. These are mainly handguns — easier to conceal — than semi-automatic weapons. As for homemade weapons, made using 3D printers, they remain a “fairly marginal” phenomenon, Inspector Shane commented.
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