Police chief reports rise in shootings in Waterloo Region last year
Posted Jan 11, 2023 09:30:00 PM.
Waterloo Region's police chief is raising concerns over an uptick in violent crime.
“When we focus on shootings, there was a pretty dramatic increase,” said WRPS Chief Mark Crowell. “We had in total 25 shootings in Waterloo Region last year… and compared to 2021, we had 16. We have to be careful with year-over-year stats; but that's 25 shootings with real firearms in our community and significant concerns from our standpoint that there's a proliferation of weapons on the streets and commissions of offences.”
Crowell said there was a spike in robberies as well with a total of 296 incidents in 2022, including 20 that involved pharmacies.
He also shared deep concerns when it comes to youth-related violence and crime in our community.
“We continue to respond to incidents in and around schools where we know there's an increase in weapons, fights… and if people are arming themselves in these altercations, it's just a matter of time before the worst can happen. And it is happening.”
Crowell said all sectors need to come together to find solutions to reach people younger in life, and provide supports and programs to help disrupt the pattern.
