By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Crimes against individuals greatly increased in the areas served by the western sector of the SPVM, including the West Island and the west end, says the recently released SPVM 2024 annual report.

As a whole, for the entire island, the report said that firearm crimes decreased by 19 percent from 2023, and by 47 percent from 2021. Thefts of vehicles decreased by 25 percent compared to 2023 — some west end councils have warned owners of Japanese SUVs to be especially vigilant.

“The upward trend in many crimes against persons, seen in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada before the pandemic, continued in 2024,” the report points out. “In Montreal, the number of crimes against persons reported in 2024 increased by 7.3% compared to 2023 and by 27.8% compared to the average for the last five years.”

The report says that, overall, Criminal Code offences increased by 3.4 percent, while crimes against property “remained stable.” The Suburban has reported in recent years about numerous incidents of arson at businesses and of vehicles, including in parking lots and at private homes.

The western sector of the SPVM covers Station 1 (Baie-D’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Senneville), Station 3 (Île Bizard, Pierrefonds, Ste. Geneviève, Roxboro), Station 4 (Dollard des Ormeaux), Station 5 (Dorval, Dorval Island, Pointe Claire), Station 7 (St. Laurent), Station 8 (Lachine, St. Pierre), Station 9 (Côte St. Luc, Hampstead, Montreal West, NDG), Station 13 (LaSalle), Station 26 (Côte des Neiges, Town of Mount Royal, Outremont), and Station 55 (Trudeau Airport).

As a whole for the western sector, crime against people increased from 8,294 in 2023 to 8,804 in 2024. Murders decreased from seven to six, and in 2024, they occurred in DDO (one), St. Laurent (one), Lachine (three), and LaSalle (one). There was one offence resulting in death in 2024, taking place in the Station 26 area.

Attempted murders increased significantly from 19 in 2023 to 32 last year in the western sector. The most, eight, took place in the Lachine area, followed by six in the Station 26 area, five each in Dollard and St. Laurent, and four in the Station 9 area.

The bulk of the crimes against people in the western sector was assaults, with 4,988 taking place in 2024 compared to 4,808 in 2023. The highest number of these took place in the Station 26 area (1,233), with 718 taking place in the Station 9 area. As well, 565 sexual assaults took place in the western sector in 2024, compared to 539 the year before. The highest number of these (111) took place in the Station 26 area, followed by 95 in St. Laurent, 84 in LaSalle and 66 in the Station 9 area.

There were 846 robberies in the western sector in 2024, compared to 753 the year before. The highest number of these (200) took place in the Station 26 area, followed by 121 in the area covered by Station 9.

There were 2,366 other offences in the western sector in 2024, compared to 2,168 in 223. The highest number of these by far was 561 in the Station 26 area, followed by 347 in the Station 9 area.

In other categories, crimes against property amounted to 15,943 in the western sector in 2024, compared to 16,866 in 2023, a significant decrease. The highest number of such crimes were instances of petty larceny. As mentioned above, The Suburban has reported on several instances of arson, and 26 of those took place in St. Laurent followed by 21 in the Station 9 area. n