Fatally violent crimes are up in Ottawa, while the city’s police chief is reporting a reduction in overall shootings.
In nearly 10 days, there have been three shootings, two of which were fatal. There have also been at least four stabbings, one of which was fatal. The remaining victims were treated in hospital.
“Having three homicides in give or take a week is very rare for this community,” said Ottawa police Chief Eric Stubbs. “It’s not something that we see very often.”
“The violence is senseless,” he said.
According to Stubbs, there have already been 20 homicides to date. Last year there were 14 homicides, according to Ottawa Police Services (OPS) homicide analytics. It also shows that homicide rates have ranged from nine to 16 per year since 2018.
Several residents have expressed their shock over recent crimes, telling CBC they’re now more fearful living in the city.
However, Stubbs said shootings are nearly 25 per cent lower than this time last year. He also noted that since January, OPS has seized 84 “crime guns.”
“The use of firearms in these urban areas is very concerning simply because you don’t know where these bullets are going to go and where they’ll hit,” said Jamie Dunlop, superintendent with the Ottawa Police Service.
The firearms are difficult to trace, Dunlop said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning, as they are typically smuggled into the country.
He added that the recent homicides are unrelated, and could be connected to gang activity, but emphasized that all investigations are ongoing.
Reducing street crime
Irvin Waller, emeritus criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, believes more needs to be done to prevent violent crime.
“We’re just simply watching the crime rate go up,” Waller said.
He wants to see more preventative work, more investment into street outreach, and programming that helps young men who are more likely to engage in violence get more educational opportunities.
Waller said he would also like to see programming that helps boys and men learn to regulate their emotions. And noted these interventions are not up to police – they’re a city issue.
“I think this is really disturbing to have exceeded the last two years’ rates of homicide in September,” Waller said. “[It] should really be getting city council to rethink what they’re doing.”
Other levels of government need to step in to help provide social and educational supports, he said.