Despite Greater Sudbury’s violent crime incidents dropping by 4.9 per cent last year, the rate still remains higher than multi-year averages.
The five-year (to 2022) violent crime incident average for Greater Sudbury is 2,489, which is 26.6 per cent greater than the 20-year average (to 2021) of 1,966.
Last year’s 2,865 violent crime incidents exceeded the five-year average by 15.1 per cent and the 20-year average by 45.7 per cent.
This past year was also notable for seeing 12 homicides take place in Greater Sudbury, which is the highest number for any year on record (Statistics Canada goes back to 1981). Of these incidents, 11 resulted in suspects being arrested and charged.
“There is gun violence that we haven’t traditionally had in the past,” GSPS Sgt. Matt Hall told Sudbury.com, adding the increase is in keeping with what’s being seen throughout Northern Ontario. The proposed 2023 police budget, which includes the creation of a four-member homicide unit, is part of their reaction to this.
Police also remain committed to partnering with other agencies, such as Downtown Sudbury and Community Action Networks, to help determine where crime is coming from so they can better work to prevent it.
Proactive partnering with other service providers, such as mental health professionals, to work with people to prevent incidents from occurring is an important part of police work, he added.
“It’s about that community engagement piece and being present and listening to what our community members have to say.”
Although last year’s overall 11-per-cent drop in crime (factoring in both violent and property crimes) is good news, Mayor Paul Lefebvre told Sudbury.com, “We still have work to do.”
Alongside a boost in police officers proposed in the 2023 police budget, which city council is expected to vote on next week, Lefebvre said wraparound services for the city’s most vulnerable residents are needed to build on this year’s momentum toward lower crime rates.
“It’s all hands on deck with various approaches,” said the mayor, who also sits on the police board. He cited social supports in mental health and addictions as being key, and part of the short- and long-term work that needs to be focused on.
“The world has changed,” he said, adding that the city’s opioid epidemic is part of a broader trend stretching far beyond Greater Sudbury’s borders and tied closely to violent crime.
The vast majority of violent crimes in Greater Sudbury involve people known to each other, according to emailed correspondence from Greater Sudbury Police. They are often related to intimate partner violence, as well as family and neighbour disputes.
“The pandemic had a dramatic impact on the mental health, emotional health and financial status of individuals, as well as, the accessibility of support services,” according to emailed correspondence from Greater Sudbury Police.
“As we move out of the pandemic, we will continue to work with our community partners to ensure a survivor-centred approach to community safety and well-being while promoting education and awareness of accessible services, reporting options and personal/public safety.”
Violent crimes, such as homicide, attempted murder, human trafficking and firearm-related incidents, are often attributed to organized crime, they added.
“Locally, we continue to see individuals involved in organized crime migrate from Southern Ontario to Northern Ontario in order to establish criminal enterprises that involve trafficking both illicit substances and/or persons.”
In their emailed correspondence, Greater Sudbury Police cite a number of efforts to stem violent crimes, including crackdowns on human trafficking and the seizure of $8 million of drugs within the past couple of years, most of which fentanyl. During this time, they also seized more than 30 firearms from people associated with criminal enterprises.
While the violent crime rate has remained historically high in recent years, property crimes have been down.
The five-year average for property crime is 5,731, while the 20-year average is 6,231.
Last year’s 4,960 property crime incidents total is 13.5-per-cent lower than the five-year average and 20.4-per-cent lower than the 20-year average.
There was a “significant decrease” in pedestrian and vehicle traffic during the early months of the pandemic due to many businesses closing as a result of restrictions, according to Greater Sudbury Police Service’s emailed correspondence.
“This made businesses and residences (garages/sheds) vulnerable to property crimes.”
As Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Area managing director Kyle Marcus noted earlier this week, people returned to places such as downtown last year, which resulted in fewer opportunities for crimes of convenience.
The city’s combined violent and property crime incidents total was 4.8-per-cent lower than the five-year average of 8,220, which is extremely close to the 20-year average of 8,197 incidents.
The crime statistics used in this story were taken from Statistics Canada data (the 20-year average from 2001-2021) and Greater Sudbury police annual reports and data provided by police to Sudbury.com last week (the five-year average from 2018-2022).
There’s some discrepancy between numbers, which Greater Sudbury Police Service representative Kaitlyn Dunn said is a result of figures that “consistently fluctuate” as incidents are cleared by charge or otherwise, or re-headed as investigations roll out.
“Investigations can take months or even years, and although a call may originally come in as non-criminal in nature, after an investigation, charges may be laid or the incident may be cleared impacting the ... numbers.”
Police respond to approximately 49,000 incidents per year, of which approximately 83 per cent are not criminal in nature.
Sudbury.com interviewed Sgt. Matt Hall about last year’s drop in crime in the Flour Mill, Donovan and Downtown neighbourhoods, and interviewed police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn about some other neighbourhood-specific crime statistics. Their insights will be reported on later this week.
Editor's Note: Subsequent to this story's publication, GSPS updated their 2022 crime statistics. Our associated story can be found by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
