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Violent crime steadily rising in Oakville

It was revealed a month ago that the crime rate in Halton had gone up by 30.5 percent in the first six months of 2022. In search for answers, the Halton Police Board was asked to further research and explain the increase.

On October 27, the Board came up with a report which went into detail on different categories of crime and their levels of increase. 

Of note were high rates of armed robberies, assaults, sexual assaults, extortions, luxury vehicle thefts, and crimes of a violent nature.

Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner interprets much of the increase in crime as a return to pre-pandemic levels, although some crimes in particular are happening more frequently - like robberies. 

From January to June, there were, on average, 61.5 robberies in 2018 and 2019. There have been 83 robberies this year within that same time period – a significant increase of 25%.

Tanner concurs with the data. "I do believe violent crime is up," he admits.

"We have had a number of carjackings, certainly. We’ve had a number of robberies where firearms are present." Tanner believes "a lot of those particular crimes are street gang related. Criminals [are] coming here from the east of us."

Quite a few of the shootings in Halton have been related to organized crime, according to Deputy Chief Jeff Hill.

Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is aware that the problem is worsening and has assigned officers to tackle this issue specifically.

Tanner touted the effectiveness of several programs that were created to bring down criminals, namely Project Eleanor and Project Armadillo.

32 stolen vehicles, worth $2.2 million were recovered due to Project Eleanor; seven people were arrested and face numerous charges, as a consequence of the investigation.

Project Armadillo was a year-long investigation into overnight break-and-enters targeting luxury vehicles. Two arrests were made, two firearms were seized, and 40 charges were laid as a result.

Still, Tanner wants residents to be vigilant and not take their safety lightly, due to alarming trends.

"I would say citizens in Halton and everywhere with the trends we’ve been seeing should be concerned." - Chief Tanner

He wants "citizens to be cognizant of what’s going on. Just because we’re saying Halton is the safest large municipality in Canada doesn’t mean everyone is safe every day."

Information from the public plays a crucial role in keeping streets safe, as law enforcement cannot be everywhere all at once. Residents are always encouraged to report suspicious activity and keep an eye out on their neighbourhood. 

If you have information to share with Police, call HRPS at 905-825-4747.

You can submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also visit www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.


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