Sexual assault, firearm-related offences up in 2016, says Montreal police report
CBC News | Posted: June 29, 2017 2:14 AM | Last Updated: June 29, 2017
Homicides continue to go down in the city, overall crime also down
Reports of sexual assault are up, along with firearm-related offences, pedestrian deaths and arrests of suspected pimps, according to the Montreal police's annual report.
Despite this, the overall crime rate went down by 1.2 per cent. The number of homicides was also down in 2016 at 23 deaths — the lowest in 45 years.
Firearm-related offences were up 38 per cent, from 372 cases in 2015 to 513 cases in 2016. Police chief Philippe Pichet said the offences included when investigators seize firearms.
Station 55, which polices Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, registered 238 of those infractions in 2016 compared to 44 the year before — a fivefold increase.
Reports of sexual assault
According to the report, sexual assault cases are up 14.5 per cent in Montreal with 188 more cases in 2016, making the total 1,487.
Pichet said the force received more calls following a campaign encouraging victims of sexual crimes to report them.
More stun guns
Montreal police made more stun guns available to officers working downtown in response to recommendations from the coroner's inquest following the death of Alain Magloire.
By March, downtown police stations had 10 and one more was added at the airport.
Four more were given to the intervention group and 10 more went to its patrollers.
The weapons are used collectively between officers.
Other key points
- Diversity within the force has stagnated, with about seven per cent of officers visible minorities in both 2016 and 2015..
- The overall crime rate went down by 1.2 per cent.
- Pedestrian deaths are up from 11 per cent to 15 per cent.
- More than 1,300,000 calls were made to 911.
- The number of arrests of suspected pimps doubled to 53 in 2016.
- Cases of fraud are up 13 per cent.