Crime is exploding in Montreal. More murders, sexual assaults, firearms offences, auto theft, fraud; the annual report of the Montreal police which will be published in a week paints a very bleak picture.
• Read also: Series of break and enters: four suspects arrested and nearly $200,000 in jewelry seized
• Read also: Police officers attacked in Montreal
The activity report of the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM), a copy of which our Investigation Bureau obtained, shows that more than 100,000 criminal offenses were committed in 2022, an increase of 14% compared to to the average of the last 5 years.
- Listen to the interview with André Gélinas, former SPVM investigator at the microphone of Philippe-Vincent Foisy via QUB-radio :
“The repercussions experienced during the pandemic, the isolation and the erosion of the social fabric are factors that can be considered” to explain this increase, writes the SPVM in the document.
Compared to what has been observed since 2017, crimes against the person are up by 21%. Murders are up 43%, assaults are up 28%, reported sexual assaults are also up 12%.
Screenshot
Excerpt from the SPVM annual report (2022)
The firearms crisis is not just an impression and it is well confirmed by the figures: last year there were no less than 563 crimes against the person with a firearm in the metropolis, a increase of more than 29%.
Even victimless firearm discharges increased by 87%.
“Gun-related crime is worrisome. I would have expected that the new squads dedicated to weapons would allow more seizures and that is not reflected in the results,” observes André Durocher, former inspector and head of media relations at the SPVM.
Already out of breath at the end of the pandemic, the police officers of the largest municipal police force in the province also had to respond to 436,000 calls, an increase of 20,000 calls in five years.
And the problem of the lack of police officers continues: the 207 hirings of 2022 did not even make it possible to fill the 242 departures.
- Listen to the interview with David Shane, inspector, communications manager and SPVM spokesperson on Yasmine Abdelfadel’s show via QUB-radio :
Some highlights of the report
Park your car
The police do not hide it: “The number of motor vehicle thefts is on the rise […] for two years”, can we read in the report: 9,583 cars were reported stolen last year, an increase of more than 92% compared to the trend since 2017.
To explain this, the SPVM cites in particular “the supply of new vehicles and parts [qui] has been considerably reduced” because of the pandemic, as well as “the attraction for the export of stolen vehicles and the resale abroad”.
Sad record for domestic violence
“Last year was marked by the murder of many women in Quebec, many of them in the context of domestic violence,” laments the SPVM. Thus, 8 women were murdered in Montreal, “including three in a context of domestic or intra-family violence”.
Screenshot
Excerpt from the SPVM annual report (2022)
Fraudsters take advantage
There have never been so many frauds reported in the recent history of the SPVM: 9,420 frauds were reported last year.
“The increase in fraud is mainly attributable to a greater number of identity and service card (eg bank card) fraud,” observes the police.
Bringing fraudsters to justice is difficult; only 508 people were charged in fraud cases last year.