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THE CONVERSATION
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Author: Yanick Charette, Professor, Criminology, Laval University
Gun violence has increased in recent years in Canada. increase. Over the past few months, Montreal and its suburbs have witnessed a number of shootings, including bystanders, who have died. There were also several shootings near Vancouver and Toronto.
In 2020, he had 277 firearm homicides in Canada. This is his best number since 1991. Needless to say, some intervention is required to fix the costly and damaging problems. For society, not to mention victims and their loved ones.
But at the moment, the only strategy proposed by politicians and law enforcement agencies is to increase the number of police or crack down. this baffles me. Both my research and the scientific literature on the problem of criminal networks suggest that there are other, more effective ways to deal with this problem.
Problem-oriented policing
Does more police reduce violence? Not according to a systematic review of studies investigating this issue.
Increases in police personnel have been shown to have, at best, a small impact on general crime, but no specific impact on violent crime is known. Hmm. Moreover, these police strategies create social tensions and discriminatory processes, increasing the risk of victimization. All of these go against a comprehensive solution.
These strategies are not only fairly ineffective, they are also inefficient and cost the taxpayer considerable.
However, they have been implemented elsewhere in the world. We can learn from other innovative strategies. Although not widely implemented in Canada to date, these solutions based on problem-oriented policing promise better outcomes in the fight against gun violence.
Targeting the source of the problem
Rather than simply responding to each event, as is the case with gun violence today, problem-oriented policing As the name suggests, it promotes a proactive approach to crime by targeting the source of the problem.
Specifically, this strategy focuses on deterrence. This strategy aims to deter violent behavior by specifically targeting individuals or groups at risk of committing violent behavior and exploiting the threat of punishment and the potential benefits of abstaining from violent behavior. .
Specifically, targeted deterrence-based interventions involve police services and community representatives working together to initiate discussions with individuals at high risk of being involved in violent crime. Both are involved. The purpose of this discussion is to communicate clear incentives to avoid violence and discouragements to engage in it.
Incentives and deterrents
Once targeted, criminals are provided with information about the various services available in the community. increase. Incentives include employment assistance, psychosocial interventions, training and community support programs.
An element of deterrence is also evoked. Individuals we meet are informed of the increased legal sanctions they and their associates will face if they continue to commit acts of violence. This enhanced punishment may be specific to violent acts, but may be extended to other less serious crimes. For example, if a gang raises the level of violence, the group's drug-trafficking activities may come to global attention.
Focused deterrence initiatives go beyond simple carrot-and-stick strategies to reduce opportunities for individuals to commit acts of violence, engage local communities as partners in the process, and strengthen relationships. is intended to improve Between law enforcement and the community.
Groups, not individuals
These programs take many forms, but the most effective is the ceasefire model introduced in Boston in the 1990s. is based on
This violence reduction strategy targets gangs as groups rather than individuals. In these programs, judicial, social services, and community organizers engage directly with violent groups to express their moral and legal concerns about the violence they have experienced, to offer sincere support to those who want it, and to oppose it. are encouraged to conduct strategic law enforcement campaigns to A person who continues to act violently.
These strategies show very promising results. A systematic review of 24 studies evaluating programs of this nature concluded that they were highly effective in reducing gun violence.
For example, one of our studies found that implementing such a program in New Haven, Connecticut, reduced gang gun violence by 73%. In addition, through the process of information dissemination among members of criminal groups, the individuals involved in these programs also benefited from these interventions.
This observed reduction is far more effective than simply increasing the number of police officers without an overall strategy focused on the cause of the problem or a strategy that disengages members of the community. and efficient.
To our knowledge, there are no such intervention strategies in Quebec. The Quebec government has announced a $2 million prevention project for him in his seven boroughs of Montreal, including upgrading sports and cultural facilities. However, repressive strategies received more than twice as much investment as prevention-focused strategies.
There is no good reason not to implement this type of program. These programs have proven successful elsewhere in the world. It's time to think about the issue of gun violence in a holistic way, in terms of prevention, rather than simply reactive and strictly repressive measures.
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Yanick Charette is funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec and the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
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