Canada's cities can't follow Glasgow's crime-cutting lead on their own, experts say

Police, politicians and crime prevention experts arecalling for a national strategy to stem the growing tide of violencein municipalities across Canada.

Earlier this month, Radio-Canada travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, where officials have taken a holistic approach to solving an epidemic of street violence, treatingit as a public health problemrather than a crime wave.

After adopting itspublic health model, Glasgow saw a 37 per centdecline in violent crimein the decade between 2007 and 2017.

Ottawa police Insp. Carl Cartrightbelieves the Scottish city was able to achieve those results because different levels of government cooperated toward the same goal.

"In Glasgow, the country itself has decided that change is needed. We are not yet in that state in Canada," Cartright said in a French-language interview.

"We need a national change."

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Nancy Worsfold, executivedirector of Crime Prevention Ottawa, said the provincial and federal governments need to reconsider how they fund crime prevention strategies.

The federal government set aside $327 million to fight gun and gang violence in 2017, with $200 million going to provinces and territories and another $86 million to try to stop gun smuggling.

Ontario is getting $54 million over three years.

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The Liberals pledged during the recent election campaign to give municipalities more power to ban handguns and buy back semi-automatic rifles as part of a national ban.

The NDP, one of the parties the Liberals could lean on for support in this minority government, had $100 million over five years in its platform for programs to prevent youth from getting into violence.

The Conservatives oppose a handgun ban and said they'd give more money to local police to address this. The Bloc Qubcoisdid not release a crime policy.

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"There is always a need for provincial and federal government investments in crime prevention," Worsfold said in French.

"But we would like to see more investment in social interventions."

'Outdated'models

Coun. Mathieu Fleury, whose Rideau-Vanier ward has seen its fair share of the rising violence, agreed it's time toreview how responsibilities are divided between the three levels of government, but stressed affordable housing must be an integral part of any solution.

"The reality is, for it to workyou still need the base of any effort [to be] the key to an apartment," Fleury said.

Both Fleury and Worsfold believe the tendency to "silo" those underlying issues lies at the root of the problem, and would prevent the implementation of the Glasgow model here.

Could Glasgow's method of crime reduction work here in Ottawa?

5 years ago

Duration 1:00

Coun. Mathieu Fleury says that for a strategy like Glasgow's to be effective here, we need a renewed focus on housing.

Legislation preventing the sharing of private information between various stakeholders would furthercomplicate the adoption of the Scottish approach, Worsfold said.

That can leave cities with enforcement and incarceration as the only tools at their disposal.

"I can put so many people in jail, but I will not stop this problem," Worsfold said.

"We have models that are outdated,"Fleury agreed.

"Glasgow demonstrates a much more comprehensive approach that is relevant, which is important."

Ottawa's new police chief, Peter Sloly, has contacted officials in Glasgow to talk about their approach to violent crime, and there are early signs he's looking to shake things up here, with or without the cooperation of upper levels of government.

Discussinghis priorities after being sworn in Monday, Sloly placed the reinstatement of community policing at the top of his list.