Montreal Broke A 5-Year Record For Homicides Last Year, According To The Police

According to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal's (SPVM) annual crime report for 2018, overall crime in Montreal is down and has been declining over the years. 

However, the same report outlines that violent crime such as murders, assaults, sexual crimes, and robberies are up but might not increase. Homicides, in particular, reached a five-year high. 

The SPVM report presented to city hall on Tuesday shows that there were a total of 32 homicides in Montreal in 2018 — a 24% increase from the previous year. There were 106 attempted murders as well, up 17 from last year's 89 attempts. 

Police representatives were quick to point out that they don't believe that this uptick in violent crime will continue, according to CTV News. 

Violent crime as a whole was up, in fact. Apart from the 19% increase in attempted murder, there was an almost 5% increase in assaults and a 2.8% increase in sexual assaults. 

It's not all bad though. Petty crime such as fraud, larceny, and auto theft saw huge decreases in 2018. There were nearly 500 fewer instances of auto theft on the Island of Montreal, for instance — great news for car owners. 

According to the data, crime was reduced by an overall total of 4.7%. These are encouraging numbers. Many attribute the decrease in crime to fewer drug violations such as marijuana possession. 

There are some interesting trends to consider. According to the data, there are more homicides in the winter months and more violent and sexual assaults in the summer months. Robbery is a fall activity and most attempted murders happen in June.

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The report also details automobile infractions, traffic violations, accidents, and the like. According to the SPVM's data, the roads got a lot safer. 

The good news is that fewer DUIs, highway infractions, and speeding tickets were given out in 2018. Cyclists and even pedestrians got far fewer tickets as well. 

Montrealers also truly excel at receiving parking tickets, with well over a million ticketable offences reported in 2018. 

Unfortunately, it's never all good news. More pedestrians than cyclists were killed by motorists in 2018, even though the total number of deaths decreased overall.

For the city of Montreal, this overall decrease in crime could only mean good things. Though the SPVM is often highly criticized, their efforts keep us safe. 

To read the complete SPVM Crime Report 2018, please click here. 

For information about Montreal's police force, please visit the official SPVM website.