Gun-related violence rises in first six months of 2018, city police say

Police received fewer reports of stolen firearms so far this year, but nonetheless recorded an increase in violent occurrences involving guns.

Statistics released this week by the Regina Police Service — examining the period of time between Jan. 1 and June 30 — noted a 28.6-per-cent increase in violent incidents involving a firearm when compared to last year.

“Typically speaking, for the last two to three years, the Regina Police Service has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of firearm offences,” noted Amy Balfour, manager of Strategic Services — the unit that compiled the information.

This year, 81 violent firearms offences occurred during the sixmonth period, versus 63 the year prior. The month of June also saw a year-over-year increase, almost doubling from eight to 15.

The number of injured shooting victims also rose significantly when comparing this June to last, jumping from two to seven. Firearms offences without injuries were up significantly, from three to six when looking at June alone, and from 19 to 29 when comparing the six-month period.

Police have also been taking more guns off the streets, reporting a 26.7-per-cent increase (30 versus 38) when comparing June to June. Meanwhile, the total number seized so far this year (249) is significantly above the five-year average of 175.2.

Police have seen a sizable drop in reports of stolen firearms, with 31 such reports having been made during the first six months of 2017 and 19 during the same period this year. Even so, this year’s number remains higher than the 17.8 average over the past five years.

The year’s numbers are the most startling when compared to 2014, when police recorded just 23 violent occurrences using firearms, versus this year’s 81. While 20 people this year have so far been reported as victims, 2014 saw just six. And the number of gun seizures has skyrocketed from 98 to 249.

The city’s increasing problem with gun crime has been welldocumented, and Balfour repeated what others have observed — that gun crime in Regina has most often come hand in hand with drug offences.

“It would be fair to say that we know that the increase in violent offences, as well as just the presence of firearms on the streets of Regina, are related to an increase in drugs,” she said.

“And certainly we find, more often than not, we have people who are either using a firearm in the commission of an offence oftentimes when they are either under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or as a result of obtaining drugs — whether it be a drug ripoff of whether they carry a firearm on them because they’ve got drugs or they’re dealing drugs.”

The Regina Police Service has noticed adramatic increasein the number of firearm offences.

In terms of the lower numbers of reported stolen guns, Balfour said while it’s likely too early to suggest a trend, she was hopeful it has something to do with programs Saskatchewan police have been involved in, such as the gun amnesty, and increased education around proper storage of firearms that can make theft more difficult.

She acknowledged it’s possible the still-increasing gun crime numbers might suggest previously stolen guns are already in the hands of offenders, or it might indicate more guns are being brought into the city given the transient nature of the drug trade.

“We have a lot of people that come from across Canada through Regina, either to buy or to sell, who carry firearms with them,” Balfour said.