Halifax police chief says he's losing sleep over escalating gun violence throughout the city
Halifax's chief of police says he's concerned with the escalating gun violence in the city.
Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella told the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners the escalating gun violence around the city "keeps me awake at night."
"It's a very serious issue that's affecting us in our community," said Kinsella, during his opening remarks to the board. "I know that this is an issue on your minds and the communities' minds."
According to Kinsella, there have been 13 shooting incidents already this year, with eight people reporting gunshot injuries.
Halifax police responded to 47 shooting incidents last year, compared to 21 incidents in 2020 and 10 in 2019.
"Part of our approach has been to remove illegal guns from the street and we have been focused on that very heavily and will continue to be," said Kinsella.
Halifax police have already seized 163 illegal guns this year, compared to 264 guns last year.
"We are making every effort to further investigations involving guns and we are making every effort to get illegal guns off the street," said Kinsella.
Four of the six homicides Halifax police are investigating this year have been gun-related.
Commissioners questioned Kinsella about the root causes of the shootings, but the chief wouldn't give specifics.
"There are a number of factors that drive what's going, we certainly don't know them all, we do our very best. We're taking an intelligence-led approach, particularly in our integrated guns and gangs unit," he said.
As of early June, Halifax District RCMP says they've responded to six crimes involving guns.
"We are seeing an increase in gun violence in Halifax District RCMP area, as well as our seizures are up," said RCMP Insp. Jeremie Landry.
Halifax RCMP responded to 26 gun calls in 2021 and 34 in 2020.
With the increase in gun violence, Kinsella is appealing to the Nova Scotia public prosecution service for help.
"We have requested consideration for a dedicated crown prosecutor for firearm offenses," said Kinsella.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.