Domestic-related incidents and common criminal offences during COVID-19

BY NANA ADJIE-POKU

Over the past month, there have been certain trends found in common criminal offences.

As residents of the GTA are advised to stay home unless they: fit the category of essential workers or businesses, going to the grocery store, or going to important appointments, many are at risk of being victims of domestic-related incidents.

These individuals are typically women and children, and they are at a high risk because they are around their abusers more than usual. Police use their judgment and lay domestic charges if there is enough evidence to warrant such a charge. This happens even if the victim(s) do not want charges to be laid.

More than 70 shelters across Ontario have seen an increase in calls for assistance.  One particular shelter (that caters to predominantly Muslim and immigrant women and children) has received 400 calls per week as of April. This is double the amount they typically receive. In Halton Region, police received 277 domestic-related phone calls and ended up laying 177 charges. Surprisingly, Peel Region reported that they have not seen much change in comparison to 2019 with 1,024 domestic occurrences between March 1^st and April 2019 and 1,021 as it stands to date.

I have a personal relation to domestic violence. I was in a similar situation a couple of years back and being able to leave to attend work and school was the thing I looked forward to everyday.  I sympathize with the fact that there are individuals out there who are stuck in a home and have no way of making an excuse to even: leave the house to get away from their abuser, to seek help, or even just to get away for sanity purposes.  You have next to nowhere that you can run, and this impacts your mental and emotional state in a huge way. While I am happy to report that I am four years passed that relationship, it is something that I know can impact your life in a huge way.

If you are experiencing domestic-related abuse, contact the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1.866.863.0511 or call 911.  If you are unable to phone, you can send a text message to #SAFE (37233) if your phone carrier is Rogers, Fido, Bell or Telus.

In relation to common offences such as: auto theft, robbery, stunt driving, and commercial break ins, they have all seen an increase. Traffic violations including impaired driving, assault, homicide and fraud saw a decrease. Below are some of the statistics for some police services across the GTA.

Toronto Police Service (comparison to January 2020)

• Auto Theft – 2 % decrease
• Assault – 4% decrease
• Robbery – 7 % increase
• Homicide – 37 % decrease
• Sexual Assault – 10 % decrease

Durham Police Service

• Sexual Assault – 22 % increase
• Domestic Related – 14 % increase (increased from 12 % of the past month)

York Regional Police

• Stunt driving – 60% increase
• Commercial break ins – 45% increase
• Auto Theft – 44% increase
• Domestic Related – 22 % increase
• Traffic Violations – 32% decrease with Impaired showing a 29% decrease
• Fraud – 16% decrease
• Weapons – 13% decrease

York Regional Police Service reported a more than 50% increase in stunt driving offences. One of the reasons for the increase in stunt driving offences are because many of us are at home and the roads and highways are now empty, so drivers feel that they can take over the road and speed excessively.