Gang-Related Homicide in Canada Increases

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In November 2017, the Government of Canada announced it was investing $327.6 million over the next five years to reduce gun violence and gang activity in the country. Part of the initiative was to hold a national Summit on Criminal Guns and Gangs, which took place on Mar. 7, 2018, and was hosted by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

An analysis of homicide-related data from Statistics Canada confirms the federal government’s worry about rising gun and gang violence. Not only has the number of gang-related homicides been rising since 2014, but the rate at which incidents occur also rose by 45% in 2016. In addition, statistics confirm that shooting has been the most common method used to commit homicide in 2016.

Gang-related homicide victims compared to total victims of homicide (2012-2016)

An analysis of Statistics Canada data shows that gang-related homicide in Canada has been rising since 2014. A spike in 2016 also shows that approximately a quarter of all homicides in Canada were gang-related.
Source: Homicide Survey, gang-related homicide, by region, Statistics Canada.

 

Homicide in Canada: Gang-related homicide by province, 2016

The national Summit on Criminal Guns and Gangs, held on Mar. 7, 2018, prompts a deeper look into gang-related homicide across Canada. The governmental news release about tackling gun violence and gang activity, as well as Public Safety Canada’s Departmental Plan for 2017-18 both do not provide a detailed provincial breakdown of fatal incidents in relation to organized crime or gun violence.

However, an analysis of homicide-related data from Statistics Canada reveals that gang-related homicide largely takes place in Ontario. Specifically, 22.8% of all homicides in the province were gang-related in 2016, and mostly occurred in Toronto (33 out of the 45 incidents in Ontario). Canadian police organizations only began to collect data related to gang-activity in 2013, but studies show that most gang-related homicides involve firearms, male offenders and victims, and younger victims that are likely to be  strangers to the offenders.

An analysis of Statistics Canada data shows that out of 141 gang-related homicides in Canada in 2016, a third took place in Ontario (45). Most gang-related homicides in Ontario happened in Toronto, accounting for 37.1% of all homicides in Toronto for 2016.
Atlantic Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Source: Homicide Survey, gang-related homicide, by region, Statistics Canada.

 

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