B.C.'s murder rate drops to 40-year low

B.C.'shomicide rate fell to its lowestlevel in 40 years according to a report released by Statistics Canada this week.

There were 88 homicides, or 2.01 murders per 100,000 people,slightly higher thanthe national average of 1.80, but down significantly from the provincial rate of 2.50 the year before.

While therate fellprovincially, in Vancouver itremained much higher at 2.41 per 100,000 people, largely due due to the number ofgang-related slayings.

There were 55 homicides in Vancouver last year,19 of which weregang-related. That'sabout one-third of the total, significantly higher than the national ratio of one in five homicides being gang related.

Guns, gangs and homicides

Solicitor General John van Dongen said his ministry will be looking closely at the links between guns, gangs and homicides.

"The overall message is that I need to continue to focus on issues involving organized crime gun violence and the deaths involved in that," van Dongen said Thursday. "That is why I'm conducting, through my ministry, a specific study on the illegal movement and use of guns by organized criminals," .

Corp. Dale Carr, spokesman for the Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said gang-related homicides take more time and money to investigate, and are less likely to be solved by police.

Police solve only 40 per cent of gang-related homicide investigations, compared with 80 per cent of domestic and other homicides, Carr said.

"It is no secret that the drugs and organized crime files are a lot more complex," Carr said.

The report classified homicides as first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter or infanticides. Deaths caused by criminal negligence, suicide and accidental or justifiable homicides were not included.