Discussions

Written by the mayor of Wpg of today's crime.  
 
By SAM KATZ/ WINNIPEG SUN JULY 29  
 
Many of us remember a time in Winnipeg when we could leave our bikes in the yard and our homes and cars unlocked - when Winnipeg felt safe.  
 
Today, we are seeing an increase in gun violence. As a parent, a citizen and mayor of our city, it leads me to have many concerns. To be without concerns would be nothing short of foolish.  
 
No one should pretend we don't have a problem here. It's no secret violent crime is a problem in Winnipeg. And gun violence is certainly not the only violence making headlines. Criminals are increasingly turning to knives and stolen autos as weapons and a lot of it is gang-related.  
 
But violent crime is by no means unique to Winnipeg. Violent crime and gangs plague cities all across Canada. We are living in a society where criminals believe they can get away with violent crime. And the sad part is, as a result of the laws we have and the way they're being enforced, they technically are.  
 
JUST LAUGH  
 
Many criminals just laugh at what happens when they get caught and at how quickly they get out. It's not funny at all to citizens trying to live a law-abiding life.  
 
I would very much like to see that when the hard-working men and women of the Winnipeg Police Service arrest an individual for a crime, we don't see them on our streets 48 hours later committing that same crime.  
 
I want to see tougher sentences. The entire system has to be changed. Clearly, the way we've been doing things the past five, 10, 20 years isn't working.  
 
I'm not pointing fingers at any specific level of government, at judges or police. This is not about political parties and ideologies, but the safety of our citizens in Winnipeg and across Canada.  
 
At the municipal level, public safety has been a top priority and we are doing what we can to deal with violent crime in Winnipeg. We've brought in Operation Clean Sweep, which is now a permanent mobile unit: we've implemented new programs such as CrimeStat: we've expanded the Stolen Auto Unit to operate seven days a week and added two new electronic plate-readers: we've added 115 new police officers and the province has a commitment for 50 more.  
 
There are some problems we can address and others are more difficult. I know we require the assistance of the federal and provincial governments to help us ensure there are severe consequences for the actions of those who habitually put the lives of our citizens in danger.  
 
It's going to take all of us working together so that we can not only feel safe in our homes and streets, but actually be safe as well.  
 
Political grandstanding and stalling legislation accomplishes nothing.