Calgary shooting-related violent crime faces upsurge

If you think there have been more shootings in Calgary this year you would be right

Calgary police say there have been 88 shootings so far this year.

Calgary Police Service Superintendent Cliff O’Brien says that’s more than there were this time last year.

“In fact, what we are starting to see is road rage incidents where people are pulling out guns and firing them,” said O’Brien.

“We are starting to see that there are other types of disputes where people are going to a gun. We are seeing that even people who have been traditionally property crime offenders are now carrying guns. They may be carrying it for protection against other criminals but they are carrying guns.”

O’Brien says only a small percentage of these shootings seem to be gang-related.

“On a regular basis, almost nightly, we are seeing our patrol officers out there and whether they are conducting a traffic stop for a simple traffic violation or if they’re participating in a search warrant our members are pulling guns off the street.”

He says that this year to date, they have seized 273 guns that have been used in a crime.

“Five years ago most of our shootings were gang-related, what we’re seeing in the last two years only a quarter [or] 30 per cent, somewhere in that range, are organized crime or gang-related. So what we’re starting to see is that people that are not necessarily affiliated with organized crime or gangs are now carrying weapons and are not afraid to use them.”

He says that the average number of shootings is around 100 per year and adds that the summer isn’t even over and they are already clocking in at 88 shootings.

O’Brien says people need to be held in jail longer, and that might deter gun violence.

“We need to make sure certainly the police, but also court staff and prosecutors, have the resources they need to make sure that if somebody is found guilty of a gun-related violence that there are consequences.”

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He also adds that it takes a communal effort to prevent gun violence in the city.

“From our perspective, this is a community issue, not just a policing issue.”

“One of the things that has been super helpful for us is that when the community sees something suspicious they phone us. And I know that because of that help from the community we have stopped shootings from taking place because we have been able to respond to a suspicious person before it’s ever become a shooting.”

“I think that where we really need help is that as a community we all do our part when it comes to prevention of gun violence and victimization.

“We need to hold offenders accountable.”

–With files from Tiffany Goodwein