The latest crime statistics out of Halifax show violent crime rates are down from last year but those numbers don’t mean much to many area residents.
It doesn’t help that the new statistics come just two days after 26-year-old Kaylin Todd Diggs died following an assault in Halifax’s bar district.
Police responded to a disturbance call in the area of Argyle and Sackville Streets just before 4 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived on the scene they found Diggs lying on the ground.
The Halifax man was taken to hospital where he died a short time later from his injuries. Police say Diggs was not known to them and it appears he was walking on Argyle Street early Saturday when a fight broke out. About five people were involved in the altercation, including Diggs, who was assaulted and knocked to the ground.
Police say an autopsy concluded Diggs died as a result of injuries sustained in the fight and his death has been ruled a homicide.
No suspects have been found in the case and today investigators released images of two men whom they believe may have witnessed the fight. Police have since identified one of the men but are still hoping to identify the second. Police also released images of three potential witnesses yesterday, whom they later identified.
“Even if you spoke to a police officer at the scene, if you haven’t provided your contact information, contact us again,” says Const. Brian Palmeter.
Diggs’ death is the city’s 10th homicide in 2012, but according to Halifax Regional Police, violent crimes this year from April to June are down from the same period last year.
There have been five murders in the second quarter of 2012, which is one less during the same time in 2011, but those numbers aren’t necessarily comforting.
“In the daytime I’d come, but I don’t know if I’ll come out at night,” says one visitor to the area.
The atmosphere in downtown Halifax is very different during the day, when hundreds of tourists flock to historic sites and hungry Haligonians enjoy food and drink on the many outdoor patios.
But things often get messy at night, especially when drinks are flowing. Bar owner Victor Syperek says cheap drinks are part of the problem, as well as the staggered closing times of many downtown bars and nightclubs.
“If you’re a bit tipsy, sometimes anger flares,” he says.
Kyle McPhee visits the downtown core often and he believes better surveillance would help curb crime.
“It would scare people if they’re on videotape…if their face was out there,” he says.
“I think it comes to personal responsibility,” says one Halifax resident. “Control yourself.”
Police are asking anyone with information on the incident or who may have been in the area at the time of the assault to contact them.
