The link has interactive graphs for ‘Transit-related violent crime rates per 100,000 people in Canada’s cities’

An excerpt:

A number of factors could be contributing to violent crime rates both on and off transit systems, said public transportation consultant David Cooper.

“The environmental circumstances that we’ve seen on transit have changed so much since the pandemic. We’ve had this opioid crisis. We have a mental health crisis. We have an affordability crisis. We’ve seen a difference in what’s occurring in our public spaces — and transit is not immune to this,” he said.

Cooper explained that during his ride-alongs with police, he observed much of the violence is committed by a relatively small number of people who have repeated encounters with officers and are often not homeless.

“An individual who is homeless is not committing crime on the transit system,” he said. “Typically a lot of violence that we’re seeing is very much around individuals who prey on vulnerable individuals.”

In 2023, Cooper wrote a series of recommendations for the Canadian Urban Transit Association, designed to address safety concerns. It includes calls for better housing and mental health support, and funding for more security and enforcement positions.

Just this month, the TTC announced a new safety plan that includes hiring additional staff to be present at stations, improved crisis response training and better security monitoring. The TTC is also implementing a crisis worker program for some portions of the subway system.

Winnipeg launched its own plan in September to address violence on transit, increasing police patrols on transit routes and in facilities.

Calgary has invested $15 million annually into its strategy, which includes dozens of new transit peace officers and connections with social services, while Edmonton is expanding its specialized transit safety police teams.

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
    2·
    14 hours ago

    Socialist action. Address the needs that tend to push desperate people to lash out. Housing, living wages, etc. The usual. What did you think? 😄

    • velindora@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      2·
      14 hours ago

      I didn’t assume. I don’t disagree those are important topics. But, do you know for a fact the people that face those problems are the people who are the 50/100000, or 0.05% that commit “assault” on transit systems?

      The article defines that as…

      common assault, assault with a weapon and aggravated — and lumps together all other violent crimes, including homicide, sexual offences, criminal harassment, robbery and uttering threats.

      uttering threats

      The arrest rate for all violent offences reported fell from 20 per cent to 11 per cent in the same time period, according to the TTC’s numbers. The charge rate dropped from about 19 per cent to 10 per cent.

      Maybe the solution is charge criminals with crimes, eh?

      Transit-related crimes include incidents on public buses, street cars, trolleys, subways, urban railroads and school buses, and subway stations, bus stops and shelters.

      300% rise in kids on school busses being assholes and uttering threats!

      Based on the data they provided, I stand by my opinion that the headline is baity, creates panic and drives misinformation.

      • nyan@lemmy.cafeEnglish
        1·
        8 hours ago

        “Uttering threats” is an offence under the Criminal Code and, as I understand it, the requirements for it to be considered a crime are pretty steep—kids on schoolbusses wouldn’t qualify because their threats usually aren’t meant to be taken seriously. It’s more like “dude standing over you holding a knife threatens to stab you” stuff.

        • velindora@lemmy.cafeEnglish
          1·
          6 hours ago

          264.1 (1) Every one commits an offence who, in any manner, knowingly utters, conveys or causes any person to receive a threat

          https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-264.1.html

          It’s quite open ended and easy to prove. I would not at all consider this to be steep.

          Now, getting that all the way through a court and to a punishment that sticks is an entirely different thing! But the data for this topic of transit violence does not at all require prosecution. So if I tell you I’m gonna fucking kick your ass, that is uttering a threat, and it would qualify.

      • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
        1·
        7 hours ago

        But, do you know for a fact the people that face those problems are the people who are the 50/100000, or 0.05% that commit “assault” on transit systems?

        Do I know that for a fact? Of course not, I haven’t conducted a study in this exact domain in TO. That said poverty is well linked in scientific literature with adverse effrcts on mental health and increased violence. The experiences of my friends, family and me are congruent with that. People creating uncomfortable situations are almost always visibly “not doing well,” occurence has become much more common with the cost of living increases and it’s spatially concentrated in areas with visible poverty. That’s good enough for me to conclude that poverty is the likely cause and that once we jail the current batch, new people would appear. In effect we’ll be shifting the problem from the street to the prison. Which would improve things in the immediate term.