SPVM’s 2023 report: Crime up by 12 per cent, armed violence down, hate crimes increase

The Montreal police (SPVM) presented highlights of their 2023 annual report and 2024-2026 strategic plan on Monday afternoon.

It shows crime was up last year in the city by 12 per cent, compared to 2022. There was also an increase in assaults, representing nearly 60 per cent of crimes against the person. However, there was a decrease when it comes to homicides and attempted murders.

There was also a significant decrease of 26 per cent when it came to armed violence last year.

“This is a positive result, but we remain fully aware of the importance of continuing our efforts on several fronts in 2024. We’re not done yet. We still have great challenges in front of us,” said Montreal police chief Fady Dagher.

Hates crimes and incidents rose, compared to 2022, with 171 incidents and 353 hate crimes – a “record,” according to Dagher. Many of these coming after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. This represents a 66.5 per cent rise in hate crimes reported to the SPVM and a 137.5 per cent rise in hate incidents compared to 2022.

“We are aware that hate crime and hate incident are in a rise up. And we’ve been very, very vigilant. We’ve connected to the communities. We’ve been very present in visibility,” added Dagher. “Remember, after the 7th of October, what happened, we had visibility all over all the different synagogues, school, mosque, just to make sure to bring down the anxiety. Because we felt that people were very, very scared. But the main thing is to report [hate crimes].”

“One of the most important things is there’s not a small crime. There’s not a small incident. Any incident, any hate crime should be reported as soon as possible.”

Dagher and three assistant directors, Cédric Couture, head of the proximity services branch, Marc Charbonneau, head of the specialized services branch, and Vincent Richer, head of the organizational services branch were all on hand for the presentation at police headquarters in downtown Montreal.

Homicides in Montreal: Old Montreal fire and 14 women killed

According to the annual police report, “2023 was marked by tragedies involving multiple victims, such as the Old Montreal fire that killed
seven victims, and a triple and a double intra-family homicide.”

The Old Montreal fire occurred on March 16, 2023 after flames ravaged a 15-unit building at Place D’Youville in Old Montreal. The SPVM and other partners worked together identify the victims. There were a total of 22 people who were present in the building when the fire started. Seven people died.

In 2023, 14 women were murdered, which amounts to 41 per cent of all homicides and other offences resulting in death in Montreal.

The SPVM responded to 13,509 service calls and recorded 6,529 domestic violence cases, which totaled 21 per cent of all crimes committed against a person in 2023.

Car thefts on the rise

There was an in increase in property crimes starting in 2022 continued into 2023. “Simple theft and motor vehicle theft represent the largest proportion of property crimes. The SPVM made 538 arrests and recovered 6384 stolen vehicles in Quebec and outside the province.”

Thanks to a number of recruitment and retention initiatives and incentives, the SPVM says they’ve hired 312 police officers and attracted 50 retirees as reservists. For the first time in five years, they’ve achieved a net increase of 91 police officers.

There has been a gradual increase in the number of collisions, approaching pre-pandemic levels. The number of serious injury collisions has decreased compared to the last five years. There has also been an increase in the number of fatalities in collisions over the last five years.

Highlights of the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan

The strategic plan is based on a number of consultation and analysis exercises that have been carried out for nearly three years with citizens, partners and staff members to determine their expectations with a view to meeting them.

“Through this strategic plan, the SPVM seeks to promote citizen trust, innovate in its practices and contribute to building a safe, inclusive and resilient environment for all Montrealers. The exercise puts forward a new vision ‘towards a proactive and integrated police force’, a vision in which the sacred bond with the citizen and the rapprochement with all populations are at the heart of the reflection,” declared Dagher.

The forces major priorities for the next three years are: To earn the trust of the public, of all Montrealers; To be reassuring to the public and feared by the criminal world; To regain our full capacity to act.

They say that there are a number of initiatives that will continue or be implemented over the next three years to accomplish their priorities:

• Implementation of three action plans: Plan to fight discrimination and racism 2025-2028; Plan of action internally for relations with Inidgenous comunities 2023-2025; Plan of action for equity, diverseity, and inclusion 2024-2027.
• Establishment of multi-sectoral firearms teams (EMAF) and deployment of Collectives strategy in each of their four regions.
• Implementation of a global strategy involving other law enforcement agencies and partners in the area of motor vehicle theft.
• Implementation of our Road Safety Master Plan.
• Improving metro users’ sense of security through our MEGA project.
• Updating the model for the distribution of police officers across Montreal to ensure that the right number of patrol officers and investigators are in the right place.

• Distribution of police vehicles by actual proximity, i.e. our patrol cars are distributed according to their exact GPS positioning for life-threatening calls.
• Nearly 30 technological systems will be implemented, upgraded or replaced to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

“I think we’re going to make a huge difference in the future, but it’s going to take time. […] I’m very proud of the work we’ve all done together, like a big village. I would like to thank all our civilian and police personnel, as well as our institutional and community partners, and the citizens who contribute day after day to the urban safety of the population, of all Montrealers,” concluded Dagher.

Some Montrealers saying all things considered, they feel reasonably safe already.

“I’ve found it safer than any other Canadian or American city I’ve lived in,” said one woman.

“There are a lot of weird people sometimes, but the thing is they don’t touch you,” said another.

“I don’t feel like I’m going to get stabbed, I guess, like in the middle of the night if I walk like no, it’s good,” one man added.

To read more from the SPVM’s 2023 report, click here.