Gun play and violence continued to make headlines in Toronto in 2008 but according to police statistics, the city is getting safer each year.
The crimes in Toronto seemed to take more of a sensational turn in 2008, with headlines telling the story of random violence, deranged domestic situations and the tragic fatalities of innocent bystanders.
However the numbers show that in most categories of crime, there were less occurrences in 2008 than there were in 2007 and 2006.
The only category that has seen an increase is the number of shootings in the city, said Staff Inspector Brian Reybould, with the Toronto police homicide unit.
As of Dec. 15, 2008, police have investigated 236 shooting occurrences. In 2007, the number of shootings at the same time last year was 200. And in 2006, the year that was dubbed "The Year of the Gun" because of the high number of shootings in the city, the number reached 212.
However, Reybould told ctvtoronto.ca that when it comes to analyzing Toronto's overall safety, it's best to keep things in perspective.
"We have 2.8 million people in Toronto and these are the numbers of shootings for almost the entire year," he said.
"The number is so small that it is statistically inaccurate to make any predictions or comment other than to say it's good if the numbers are down and bad if the numbers are up," he continued.
He pointed to a recent report that highlighted Ontario as the province with the lowest crime rate across the nation, despite being home to Canada's most populous major city.
In a 2007 study that analyzed violent crime occurrences, Toronto was ranked the third safest major city in the country after Mississauga and Ottawa.
Winnipeg was listed as the province with the most violent occurrences followed closely by Edmonton.
"I feel extremely safe walking the streets of Toronto," Raybould said.
He credited a number of police initiatives for the general decline in city crime but gave special mention to TAVIS - the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy.
Under TAVIS, more uniformed officers are patrolling the streets and making connections with the people who live in the neighbourhood.
A gun amnesty program launched in October also helped get guns off the street. People were offered a digital camera in exchange for guns by Toronto police. The Pixels for Pistols program resulted in 1,900 firearms being handed over to authorities, including 500 handguns.
Improved community relations have been a big part of what has made Toronto's crime reduction strategy a success, Raybould said.
But there's always room for improvement, he said.
"We are steadily increasing the level of cooperation from members of the community who previously would not have came forward to the police," he said.
"But it's not good enough."
