City’s homicide rate increased dramatically in 2021-2022

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The city’s homicide rate was more than triple the national average for communities of similar size in 2022, figures provided by Brantford Police say.

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The figures, presented to the police services board in September, say police investigated seven homicides in 2022. At that time, the national average was 2.08 for communities of similar size, more than 100,000 population.

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In 2021, the city investigated five homicides. The national average was 2.06, for communities of similar size.

By way of comparison, the five-year average for homicides in Brantford was four. There were no homicides in the city during the years 2011 to 2015.

The report identifies the “significant increase” in homicides as one of the “most concerning” trends in the city.

“All communities are susceptible to violent crime (and) Brantford is no exception,” Robin Matthews-Osmond, corporate communications manager, for Brantford police, said. “Many factors such as the opioid crisis and the influx of serious gun-related violent crime from the Greater Toronto Area, all contribute to the crime we are facing in Brantford.

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“Brantford Police is working in conjunction with partner agencies to combat this type of crime.”

On a more positive note, there have not been any homicides in Brantford in 2023.

There was also an increase in the number of firearms-related incidents in 2022 with subjects either perceived or confirmed to have been carrying a gun, Matthews-Osmond said.

Police investigated 21 incidents that involved the pointing of a firearm in 2022, up from eight in 2021, but down slightly from 24 in 2020. Additionally, there were 14 robberies committed with a firearm in 2022, up from 13 in 2021 but down from 22 in 2020.

Overall, there were 52 firearms-related investigations in 2022, up from 43 in 2021 but down from 72 in 2020.

Matthews-Osmond said the newly organized TIGER (Tactical Intelligence Generated Enforcement and Response) unit is focusing on gun and drug-related activity in the city.

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“This unit has proved to be immensely successful,” Matthews-Osmond said. “During 2022, the TIGER unit seized $2,339,169 in illicit drugs including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”

As well, the number of large, multi-jurisdictional projects that Brantford police have been involved with has also grown, resulting in an increase in search warrants, she said.

In August 2023, the TIGER unit, working with the OPP provincial joint forces cannabis enforcement team, dismantled a $100-million grow-op in an industrial building on Mohawk Street. The investigation resulted in 18 arrests and police seized plants, dried cannabis.

The investigation included Canada Border Security, the Brantford police High Enforcement Action Team, uniformed Brantford officers and the service’s criminal intelligence unit.

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Although there has been a decline in reported sexual assaults in the city over the past five years, it remains a serious concern. That’s because many sexual assaults are likely remaining unreported, the report prepared for the police services board said.

Matthews-Osmond said eight special constables in 2022 are helping to effectively address issues in the downtown. The impact can be seen in a decrease in the city’s non-violent crime.

“We would like to assure residents that our members are actively committed to the safety and well-being of our community,” Matthews-Osmond said.

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