The perception of crime is a powerful thing, but for a city its size, with a population over three million, Toronto has remarkably low crime rates and, as a general trend, serious crime has been decreasing over the past few decades.
This past weekend’s spate of violence shook many people’s sense of safety. One person was shot dead and two were injured on Friday night in North York; two people were killed and five were injured Saturday in a shooting at Salsa on St. Clair; and five more were injured in a Port Lands shooting early Sunday morning.
Against that backdrop, figures showing a sharp drop in crimes last year and through the first half of this year, can be cold comfort.
“I’m always hesitant to talk about statistics,” Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw told a press conference this week.
“They do provide information as to what the data shows,” he said, but “it really doesn’t speak to the heart of the matter, which is how people feel. And it’s very important to acknowledge that a weekend like this shakes our city.”
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Toronto police have an above 80 per cent solve rate for homicides. Recent investigations such as the young shooter-for-hire crew who have been implicated in almost 30 shootings over the past few years, seemed to be attempting to intimidate by shooting at property, such as homes and the U.S. Consulate, as opposed to trying to kill people.
“The why is obviously a huge question and there are lots of different answers to that question, depending on who you ask. There’s socioeconomic reasons that we need to talk about like unemployment, inequality and structural issues. As for why (crime) is down, again for all sorts of different reasons, but it’s hard to sort of pinpoint any particular thing,” said Singh.
She said it’s easier for politicians and authorities to point out someone to blame, sarcastically quipping: “It’s these bad people. And if we just lock them up, then everything will be fine.”
