Toronto sees ‘dramatic decline’ in homicides
 

Toronto sees ‘dramatic decline’ in homicides
Published On Wed, 30 Nov 2011
Raveena Aulakh
Staff reporter

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...homicides?bn=1

This is some good news for a city that has assumed it was under rampant violence... Toronto still hasn't averaged any year over 100 murders, and even if that were true it is a fraction of any city this size pretty much anywhere. Toronto is back being "Toronto the Good" for 2011.

Pardon my ignorance, but when did Toronto stop being "Toronto the Good?" AFAIK, the city has been quite safe for awhile (in fact I don't know of a violent time in the city's history, although I will admit I've never specifically researched such a thing for Toronto or the GTA). 86 is still alright for a city at the heart of a 6 million plus region.

The media have basically made Toronto out to be some crime haven, so I think the days where the "Toronto the Good" image stood were long gone.

I believe Edmonton has more murders than Toronto right now, that tells you something.

The media has made every city out to be some sort of crime haven because the media sensationalizes crime.

This must mean that the amount of unreported homicides have dramatically increased. Seems like perfect timing for the Conservative government to spend billions of dollars on prisons and increase punishment, though I think it would more sense to bring back the death penalty instead of building new prisons.

worth noting here:

Toronto's homicide rate per 100,000 population is running in/around 1.6 this year. (population approx. 2,700,000 (city proper)

This would compare with:

Buffalo, New York at 20 murders per 100,000 people (put another way, if Buffalo were the size of Toronto, it would have 160+ homicides)

But you say, not a fair comparison, given the tough times of Buffalo....

I'll be a good sport and overlook Detroit....

In favour of New Orleans, running at 49 murders per 100,000

Meh, you say....your looking only at inner-city areas etc. etc.

Well that thriving hotbed of inner-city trouble, Omaha, Nebraska has a homicide rate of 7.3 (or about 4x that of Toronto)

So, Toronto is undoubtedly a very safe city in the North American context.

While there are safer cities in the world....

It should be said...

Moscow's homicide rate is 9/100,000

London, UK, is just a hair above us, at 1.9/100,000

Amsterdam, however, runs close to 7 (who knew it was a dangerous as Nebraska?)

And

Lisbon, Portugal....9

the national rate for Canada btw is in the general area of 2/100,000

There are unreported homicides?