Assaults, sex offences, arson on the rise in Iqaluit, RCMP report
Assaults rose to 1,071 in 2018, from 890 in 2017
RCMP Staff Sgt. Garfield Elliott presented his annual statistics on crime in Iqaluit at the city council meeting this Tuesday. (File photo)
RCMP Staff Sgt. Garfield Elliott’s voice quivered when he told Iqaluit city council on Tuesday, during his end-of-year report, about the support he felt at last month’s community feast.
“It was very well supported. I am very appreciative of the support to our members,” Elliott said, swallowing back tears.
The night before the feast, the RCMP members had responded to a dangerous armed standoff in the community in which multiple rounds were fired at police.
“It involved firearms being discharged at members, police vehicles and a concerted threat to the public and members,” Elliott said in his report.
And Elliot confirmed that a man who now lies in a medically-induced coma at an Ottawa hospital was likely injured when police responded with gunfire of their own.
“Members responded with lethal force, injuring one individual and taking a second involved person into custody with incident. The matter remains before the court. The aftermath has impacted involved members and the independent investigation is being handled by the Ottawa Police Service.”
This was one of the total 32 firearms offences in Iqaluit this past year—exactly twice as many as 2017.
Assaults rose in 2018
Assaults, firearms offences, sexual offences and cases of arson have all increased in the last few years, Elliott said.
Reported assaults rose from 890 to 1,071 between 2017 and 2018. In the two years before that, the number of reported assaults reported was nearly half that: 599 in 2016 and 542 in 2015.
As well, there were 113 reported sexual offences in 2018. In the last three years, there were 105, 91 and 69 in reverse chronological order.
Firearm offences and arson are the crimes that made repeat headlines throughout 2018.
Of the 23 reported cases of arson in the last year, five of them took place on the same night in November, when the Northmart warehouse went up in flames.
More prisoners held
Elliott told Iqaluit City Council on Tuesday that 300 more prisoners were held by the RCMP in 2018 than in 2017.
There were 2,626 prisoners held in 2015, 2,608 in 2016 and 2,642 in 2017.
Last year’s total number of prisoners held was 2,925.
While Staff Sgt. Elliott gave his report to city council he said he recalled how, last April, council had a lot of questions for him about the beer and wine store’s impact on crime in Iqaluit.
It opened in Sept. 2017. So 2018 was the first full year where alcohol could be bought in Iqaluit outside of bars.
That means that in 2018 about 24 more people were held by the RCMP each month than in 2017.
Impacts of legal weed
Meanwhile, according to Elliott’s statistics, the legalization of cannabis and changes to driving bylaws this past October have yet to produce an increase in Iqaluit impaired driving or drug charges.
Reported traffic accidents actually went down in 2018 to just 65.
Before that, there were 79 reported accidents in 2017, 81 in 2016 and 80 in 2015.
However, despite a lower number of traffic accidents, there was an increase in charges drunk driving in 2018.
But December’s Christmas stop-check blitz led to no impaired driving charges.
“We did not have any impaired drivers identified during the program. However, we picked one up the following night, on Jan. 3,” Elliott said on Tuesday.
Working with bylaw officers and the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission, RCMP officers handed out over 1,000 taxi vouchers during the check stop program to promote safe driving.
After a tough year for crime in Iqaluit, Elliott told city council he will be on leave starting this Friday.
He’ll be back to V Division on Feb. 24.
“On behalf of myself and the city I just want to thank you for your service, you and the entire detachment, for the work you do all year long … the ability for your team to resolve situations without loss of life is absolutely amazing,” Coun. Kyle Sheppard said after Elliott finished.
“I hope you enjoy your well-earned vacation and thank you very much.”
Of course they well increase higher and higher people are reading news of people who are just getting slap on the wrist so no surprise its getting higher just recently you gave someone house arrest like its up to the victim’s??? LoL get real!!!!
The RCMP doesn’t decide whether or not someone gets house arrest, that’s the courts decision.
Agree with comment #1.
Putting these criminals in time out and then allowing them to just continue on with the violent behavior.
How many of the 1071 reports are for the SAME person. Someone do the math, I want to know. And what are you going to do with the people that are in the those number multiple times. Slap on the hand and go out and repeat the behavior
This report holds no surprise for those who have lived here for over 25 years. We all expected this to happen and saw the writing on the wall. The opening of the beer and wine store created a new dimension to the problem and the legalization of weed will add another. Families are destroyed by a selfish. lack of vision. The sad reality, this is what you voted for, I hope you’re happy!
Legalization of weed will not increase crime, why would it?
Read the article were the guy pointed a fire arm at his spouse looking for weed.
Been smoking for 35 yrs n never once had the inclanation ro point a firearm let alone harm anyone for Mary Jane. Also haven’t had a puff in six plus months so throw the notion of it being addictive out the window. The individual in question obviously suffers of mental health and anger management issues so don’t go blaming marijuana. Get informed and get a clie before casting blame. DUH-me
Been drinking since I turned 18. I have never been in a fight, damaged property or been in the RCMP cells. Guess all these drunks have mental health issues and it’s wrong to blame the booze
Additional info from CBC “Firearm offences also doubled in 2018 from the previous year, with 32 in 2018. Twenty-six of these were possession of a weapon for a dangerous purposes. Elliott said things like unsafe storage and careless use of a weapon are lumped in with these offences.”
I wonder how many of those 32 offenses are victimless ‘crimes’ (like going to the range without ATT paperwork, having your gun stolen by a thief from your locked house and the police blaming the victim for not having ‘secured the gun enough’, expired licenses, and other paperwork issues that should not be offenses in the first place).
mental health is very real, everyon efailed to address the problem,we need focus and that comes from the city/community people it self.we need guidance for the inuit and none inuit and I believe handleing the mental health issue will bring us all closer together not away from each other .no more bullying.no more sarcastics no more he did this she did that. I am boarn and raised here and I have seen/hear a lot of difference but people fogot the people that live here.tomorrow is a better day if we act accordingly .