Saskatoon police confirm uptick in violent crime continued through first half of 2024
Violent crime in Saskatoon was up by over 10 per cent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2024, according to new data from the Saskatoon police.
The update from police Chief Cameron McBride’s office before the board of police commissioner’s meeting next week confirms the uptick in violent crimes like homicides, kidnapping, stalking and robbery seen at the beginning of the year have continued.
There were five additional homicides since the police service last reported to the commission, bringing the total to 11 so far this year, compared to six in the first half of 2023.
In three of those killings, no one has yet been charged. The first involved an April 15 assault on a 30-year-old man at a home near Confederation Mall who later died of his injuries.
The next day, a 25-year-old man was fatally shot in the 200 block of Avenue O South, and in June a 66-year-old disabled group home resident was beaten just outside Fairhaven School, later succumbing to his injuries.
No suspects have been charged in any of those cases.
Police are still calling for Fairhaven residents who live near the school to come forward with information, hoping someone will offer video from their home surveillance cameras that will help identify a suspect.
The downward trend in property crime continued through the first half of the year, according to the office of the police chief, which reported a nearly 11 per cent reduction in reported incidents.
Police reported significant reductions in non-residential break-ins, vehicle theft, graffiti, and theft over $5,000 in the first half of the year compared to 2023 — with over 1,000 fewer incidents of property crime reported year-over-year.
Charges for possession of controlled drugs were up almost 14 per cent this year, police said, while officers issued about 18 per cent fewer tickets for traffic violations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Beautiful in its own way': New forest emerges in Jasper National Park, bringing protection and new opportunities
Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Dog mauled to death in B.C. yard after 3 pit bulls jump fence: police
A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.
video ‘Not checking out yet’: Woman with incurable cancer vows to keep fighting
Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Over 200 firearms seized in weapons investigation: Waterloo Regional Police
According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Slide over salsa: K-pop takes socialist Cuba by storm
Socialist Cuba, the birthplace of salsa and other rhythms that have conquered the world, is now surrendering to the invasion of South Korean pop music.