The Laval police (SPL) released it’s 2023 annual report and its strategic plan until 2028 – on Wednesday.
In 2023, the total amount of crimes committed against a person reached a 10-year high – after a slight decrease in 2022.
Crime rose by 10 per cent compared to 2022.
There were 33 murder and attempted murder cases in 2023, including the two young lives lost when a public transit bus crashed into a Sainte-Rose daycare.
The number of domestic violence cases reached a five-year high in 2023 – totaling 1,325 – an increase of eight per cent.
There was also a 14 per cent increase in sexual offences.
SPL reported that 57 firearms were seized and 30 people were arrested in 2023. In total, there were 52 crimes involving a firearm compared to 63 in 2022.
There were 8,665 property crimes committed like arson, fraud, shoplifting, and more – marking a 14 per cent increase from 2022.
Despite a 12 per cent decrease in vehicle thefts from 2022 to 2023, the number remained high at 1,360 cars stolen.
Road fatalities decreased
The total number of road accidents rose, but the number of fatal accidents decreased from 15 in 2022, to 10 in 2023.
There were 4,675 road accidents in 2023, compared to 4,050 in 2022 and 983 injuries were reported related to accidents.
In 2023, the SPL continued its efforts to fight against racial discrimination by launching the Justice and Equity project which gave rise to several concrete advancements.
For example, they established different working committees to ensure reporting and multidisciplinary collaboration and developed provincial training on racial and social profiling.
Highlights of 2023-28 strategic plan
To strengthen the SPL’s capacity for action, the Public Security Ministry and the City of Laval announced an investment of $37 million over five years in 2023.
This will create 50 new police stations and review the deployment of resources.
The SPL claims they will work hard to curb urban violence, vehicle theft and reduce crime overall.
“Road safety will also be at the heart of our actions, with the aim of reducing the number of victims on our roads, while keeping the number of road users to a minimum,” the report noted.
They plan on implementing activities to bring the community and the police force closer together.
Also, in 2024, the SPL wants to hire more employees by launching a recruitment campaign with an “innovative and marketing approach.”