Peel Police close out a violent year, but are statistical jumps as troublesome as they appear?
The numbers are disturbing. But are they cause for drastic concern? Are they indicative of a trend that may soon spiral out of Peel Police’s control? Or simply in line with what the region might expect as the population booms?
These questions have not been fully addressed in the course of recent discussions. Fed by reports from mainstream media outlets who only seem attentive to Brampton and Mississauga when there’s blood on the streets, residents have been left with the feeling that something is really rotten at their doorstep.
That may not be the case.
Community concern over a wave of violent crime spread across Brampton in 2018, as the issue remains the number one problem for the city’s residents. While crime needs to be confronted head on by Peel police, local leaders, other levels of government and the public, a look at the statistics over a longer period suggests 2018 might have been an anomaly, not part of a pattern of rising violent crime.
Population growth and other more random factors can sometimes explain increases in crime year over year. Overall, when looking at national and provincial crime statistics and numbers in Peel over the years to understand crime in Brampton and Mississauga, last year has to be compared with broader data.
Published on January 8, 2019 in The Pointer - Brampton
