Violent crimes soar as organized crime grips the region

The rise in violent crime across the region is up significantly as Waterloo Region Police Services looks to add around 55 officers to the force over the next three years. 

During a Jan. 18 police board meeting, police outlined how the number of violent crimes in the region have soared over the last year, prompting a response from police to ask for more officers to help address the situation and tackle organized crime. 

“We do see in Waterloo region a sustained and increased crime severity index which does play into our total service demands,” WRPS police chief Mark Crowell told board members. 

In 2022, there were 25 shootings, an increase of 56 per cent year-over-year. There was also an increase in weapons violations of 27 per cent with a total of 625 and 286 robberies, up 41 per cent. 

“These are real firearms, real incidents and real acts of brazen violence and each one of these criminal investigations is ultimately a potential homicide waiting to happen,” said Crowell. 

The robberies are turning more violent as they become more organized and frequent, Crowell said. 

During the meeting, police showed camera footage from several robberies to better explain the increasingly violent manner in which criminals are attacking cell phone stores, pharmacies and other local businesses. 

Intimate partner violence has also seen a small increase over the last year with over 6,000 calls for service and nearly 2,000 criminal cases. These numbers resulted in six homicides, five of which were family related. 

Crowell, who has a background as an investigator in both intimate partner violence and sexual violence, thinks most incidents happen behind closed doors and this number represents just a fraction of the actual violence in the community. Only a third of all calls result in a charge. 

With the growing numbers in violence, WRPS has undergone a staffing review and identified a gap of at least 55 frontline officers in the force. Similar to other municipalities like: Peel, Ottawa and Toronto, Waterloo region is experiencing population growth and with that higher crime rates, community needs and demands. 

A multi-year plan has been proposed that will see 19 officers hired by the end of 2023 with a budget increase of $18 million and 36 officers hired by the end of 2025. 

“At the highest priorities we know that robberies, gun violence and break and enters are at the top of the list from a crime suppression standpoint,” added Crowell. 

Police are also looking at the opportunity to grow as a service and be more responsive to the needs of Waterloo region residents, acknowledging they cannot police their way out of these issues. 

Crowell calls these investments necessary to address growing violence, victimization, weaponization and injustice that their members are grappling with everyday while providing services to the community. 

“It is our citizens who are asking for our help and we require additional support to provide the level of service that is being demanded of us,” said Crowell. “For those strong voices that say we need to address the root causes of crime, we couldn’t agree more.” 

The police chief wants to see more affordable housing, support for homelessness, mental health and other social issues be addressed to uplift people out of situations where they might have to resort to crime. 

“We emphatically support those solutions and investments that improve the fabric of our society. We are all working towards a day when we can move away from reactive and responsive modes, have a wide range of solutions that are potentially police free, but are not there yet as a society.” 

Police predict these trends of violent crime will continue to rise as the population of the region grows.

The police budget will be presented to the regional council on Feb. 1.