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Violent Crime Remains High
In December each year I identify the top Public Safety issues for the 12 months prior, based in part on the number of interviews I’ve conducted on various topics for Bell Media’s television and talk-radio stations, but additionally through my own analysis of what I see as the issues concerning Canadians in their day to day lives. Without fail, the matters I identify dovetail with the focus of Canada’s police services as they continue to all do their best to prevent crime and victimization in their communities.
So, here are the Top Five Public Safety Issues of 2024 from my perspective, in no specific order:
1. Border Security. Successive Canadian governments have let both the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) down and in turn failed Canadians in terms of tightening up our border with the United States. The longest largely unprotected and thus porous border in the world permits a never-ending supply of firearms (mostly handguns) coming into this country, as well as tons of illegal drugs. Despite Canada’s police chiefs repeatedly raising concerns, the federal government has done somewhere between little and absolutely zero to change that. But when President in-Waiting Donald Trump announced that he will impose tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada didn’t take decisive action quickly around people and Fentanyl southbound into the USA, all hell broke loose. A harried flight by PM Trudeau to Mar-a-Lago inevitably resulted in an announcement to invest $1.3B over six years on December 17, which is at least a step forward, but it is far from enough to allow for the hiring of thousands of additional CBSA and RCMP personnel.
2. Increase in Property Crime. The rise in auto thefts across Canada over the past several years has been quite apparent to Canadians. Well publicized and growing stats as well as videos of violent car jackings and expensive vehicles being quietly stolen from residence driveways, led to the federal and provincial governments investing in joint forces operations and technology to help stem the flow of these vehicles by truck to shipping containers in places like the Port of Montreal. There’s been huge success in recovering vehicles by police and CBSA since and currently the insurance industry and auto manufacturers are working with police to develop technological prevention and recovery solutions. Fingers crossed for even better days ahead, but the issue remains a huge concern.
At the same time, statistics showing the increase in other property crimes across the country are alarming. Residential and business break-ins, brazen smash and grab robberies and other thefts plague our communities day after day. Organized crime groups control both the auto theft and high-end retail theft markets and often use local youth as their foot soldiers, but the many other more common thefts are often linked to socio-economic issues beyond the control of police. Addiction, mental health issues and poverty, or combinations thereof, continue to be a factor in many of the more “minor” thefts, which still greatly concern victims every single day.
3. Increase in Violent Crime. What was known in Toronto several years ago as the “Year of the Gun” is common to many communities – large, small and rural. It’s become the Century of the Gun. The absolute proliferation of smuggled handguns transversing the above-mentioned porous border has led to an abundance of shootings, injuries and deaths – largely involving street gangs. Even more concerning than criminals trying to kill each other, is when innocent people are afraid to walk some streets at minimum, to innocent victims including children being caught in the crossfire.
It’s also frightening that young people are more often committing assorted acts of violence with regularity – from familial gun and knife attacks to bizarre group assaults on unknown sidewalk passersby and even pushing people onto subway tracks. As sociologists, criminologists and mental health experts work to understand the “why”, police continue to respond, investigate and prosecute as best they can.
4. Protests. Public protests in varying forms have sadly become a way of life in Canada. But over the past several years, the frequency, duration and threat levels continue to escalate exponentially. The Israel/Palestine conflict alone has resulted in protracted and volatile protests almost 24/7 in Toronto and some other major cities, but some smaller communities have been affected as well.
Many police services are not adequately resourced to meet the staffing demands of evolving crime or the need for technology, among other challenges, let alone the number of officers required to address these difficult protest operations full time. It is resource draining work and significantly takes away from other police prevention, response and investigative activities that deserve officer’s focus, and there is no end in sight.
Police are in a no-win situation as they deal with most protests. The issues are often highly-charged and emotional for those that are supportive of or opposed to whatever underlying cause is at play. The significant resources required to arrest criminal violators are seldom present without significant planning and pre-deployment, so officers cannot do much more than monitor, record and investigate with the hope of laying charges sometime later. They have to act like hockey referees, waiting for the fight to drop to the ice. That is understandably frustrating to those negatively impacted, but it is the reality of what police can do.
5. Failing Justice System. “Catch and release” and “revolving door justice” are but two of the ways the many public and police detractors describe our bail, parole and probation systems in Canada. Time and time again, violent criminals who are already out on bail are arrested and released again. Criminal law and the rules of engagement are dictated by the federal government and then applied by police, prosecutors and judges that are overseen by the provinces they are located in. It is unacceptable that criminals who are an obvious threat to officer and public safety continue to be released and continue to commit additional violent acts. It is clear to anyone with a modicum of common sense that something has to change. The current federal government, who created some of the current lax rules, has promised change – but what, when and how remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.
I know I’ve made our world sound somewhat dark and gloomy again this year, and it undoubtedly all needs to be fixed post-haste, but in the meantime please know that Canada remains one of the safest countries in the world, and our crime stats – concerning as they may be, pale in comparison to most other nations. Regardless, we need to do better. I know that all police services will continue to try their best and will most often succeed, but they need to be supported by governments at all levels through the provision of adequate resources and a legislative framework that enables them to keep everyone safe. And as good community members, we have an onus ourselves to support them in any way we can.
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and a safe, healthy and prosperous 2025. I ask that you please thank an emergency responder when you can and pray for their safety every day of the coming year.
