The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) reported on Wednesday another overall drop in armed violence in the streets of the metropolis: during the first five months of 2024, firearm discharges as well as murders and Attempted murders with guns are down 24% compared to the same period last year. However, gunshot murders have increased since the start of the year.
These statistics from the SPVM — which took stock of the armed violence situation in Montreal at a press conference — do not include summer data. Traditionally, more gun violence takes place during the months of June, July and August.
The SPVM compiled these statistics by adding the three categories: 1) firearm discharges; 2) firearm murders; and 3) attempted firearm murders. However, the seriousness of these three types of crimes is not the same, murder being much more serious, since there is a loss of life. Thus, if we only look at the category “firearm murders”, for the first five months of 2024, there are already seven, which is higher than in the previous five years during the same period.
As for attempted murders, there have been 9 since the start of the year, and 37 firearm discharges. This last category includes, for example, shots fired into the air or at a building with the aim of intimidation.
But for the Montreal police force, the overall decrease is a reflection of its efforts and constitutes a second drop in a row: the total events involving a firearm in 2023 represented a drop of 26% compared to 2022, a violent year which marked the Montrealers.
Despite these findings, which he considers encouraging, Inspector David Shane, spokesperson for the SPVM, promises that his police officers will remain “vigilant”.
“We are aware of the importance of continuing our efforts in a sustained manner and thus allowing the population to take full advantage of the beautiful season. However, a sudden increase in unfortunate events remains possible. This is why we will continue to make our presence felt on the ground and work on armed violence upstream, in a proactive and integrated manner,” he explained.
The SPVM and its various units will continue to tackle it on several fronts, he said, namely police visibility, criminal investigations, prevention and intelligence.
The Montreal police force also announced that it had seized 275 firearms between 1er January and May 31, 2024. These are mainly handguns, which are easier to conceal than semi-automatic weapons.
“These are weapons that we have removed from circulation and that could have been used to commit violent crimes,” said Chief Inspector Martin Renaud, who was also present at the press briefing. He added that 118 people were arrested during this period in connection with events involving a firearm that occurred on the territory of the City of Montreal.
As for homemade weapons, made using 3D printers, they remain a “fairly marginal” phenomenon, said Inspector Shane.
In addition to the efforts made by its various units, the SPVM set up last year “collectives”, made up of police officers and civilian personnel with varied expertise, whose objectives are to work upstream and get young people out of trouble. criminalized environments. Working from intelligence, the collectives focus on individuals exhibiting high-risk behaviors in terms of armed violence.
And the experience continues this year: two improved collectives will be operational in 2024, one for the southern and western regions of the metropolis and another for the northern and eastern regions, said chief inspector Renaud.