Shooting the messenger
The backlash against violent crime in Halifax comes now from an unusual source – statisticians and the media itself. Lurid counter-headlines like “Actually, Violent Crime is down” and a Globe story announcing that crime is down 7.7 per cent over last year contrast the shrill “Summer of Fear” headline bombast from The Chronicle Herald (we are concerned, but now cowering).
Qualifications however, were also supplied as to the nature of the recent attacks — the depravity, the randomness and the gratuitousness of them. Many of the reported incidents were not “crimes of need”, they were spiteful and arbitrary.
The nature of these incidents is what goes unqualified in raw statistics and, also, the impact of these events. Psychological impact is not just measured by the nature of the attacks themselves, but our reaction to them, and our expectations from the media to express concern.
The Herald referred to Halifax in its headline today as “rough and tumble” with the highest rate of violent crime in the country. Others dispute this stat (even though I read about these same stats last year) and say Halifax is 5th. It doesn’t matter.
There is a violent culture here that is troubling.
The reaction of the Father of the boy who was charged with attempted murder four times following his alleged attack on four security guards was that “they are trying to make an example out of him”. Yes. Correct. Who wouldn’t? My callers today went crazy on that.
Meantime, the mother of one of the 15-year-old girls who allegedly attacked a 65-year-old woman with a metal table leg for no reason has had trouble with the law, including drug charges.
Children are the problem and parents, most times, are the cause may be a blatant truism, but when the public is confronted with the insensitivity of some of these parents there is disbelief and actual shock.
Just wait till the dispossessed reproduce.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I recently watched a show about the impact of hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. I had forgotten how violent some of the survivors became. Without law enforcement or even consequences, these thugs were free to rape and kill on the streets.
I think something similar is happening with the violent youth in Halifax. Parents today are either afraid to discipline their children or just don’t give a shit. School is a joke. Students know they don’t have to learn, attend, or behave to pass to the next grade. Beating another student on school property results in a maximum of five days suspension. Does anyone know the term “grind lines” at jr. high dances? The young offenders act tops it all off with house arrest, probation, and curfews for some truly evil acts against innocent people and society in general. Where are the consequences??? There aren’t any! We shake our heads but expect the punks to fix themselves because we’re afraid we might offend somebody. There has to be consequences at all levels. We have to stop giving youth a free ride!
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 am
There is a problem with crime there is no doubt about it. However Halifax does not deserve the branding of the most violent city in Canada. According to statscan (see below) Saint John NB has more violent crime than Halifax and Saskatoon has the highest in the country. This is not new, I have seen many articles in the past few years talking about violent crime in Saskatoon and Regina.
I am not saying there is a problem I’m just saying it is an unfair branding of a city.
CITY VIOLENCE
A July 18 report by Statistics Canada places Halifax fifth among the country’s cities of 100,000 and over when it comes to total violent crime in 2006.
Here is the list of Canada’s 10 most violent cities of that size and larger. The numbers represent incidents per 100,000 people.
Saskatoon: 1,606
Regina: 1,546
Saint John: 1,313
Thunder Bay: 1,308
Halifax: 1,261
Winnipeg: 1,256
Vancouver: 1,089
Abbotsford: 1,006
Sudbury: 908
Victoria: 904
Ottawa is the least violent with 601.
The same study placed Halifax ninth for total Criminal Code violations and 11th for homicides. When it comes to car thefts, Halifax’s 368 is nowhere near Winnipeg’s tally of 1,932.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Numbers can tell us anything we want them to and it is totally pointless to argue over what “place” we are in for violent crimes. Who cares what the number is; when a growing number of people don’t feel safe in their own neighbourhood that is the only number that matters.
Where in the hell is the Cheif of Police (COP), what is his plan, and where is the communication? I bet less than 10 per cent would recognize the COP from a photograph and perhaps even less would even know his name. It sure seems to be a “spin the bottle” approach to fighting crime in this city.
I don’t have the answers but sadly the people who are paid to have the answers do not have them either. Now the Guardian Angels are rumoured to be on their way to Halifax. That makes me sad that we do not have the vision and leadership from within to make HRM a safer place.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Crime in this city is out of control, and what important item are the city’s elected officials spending countless hours on?? A cat bylaw. If the officials could pull their heads out of their arses, they might see there is a bigger problem then cats to deal with.