Police had been focusing on area where pregnant woman was shot: Saunders

Toronto:The Etobicoke neighbourhood where a pregnant mother was fatally shot over the weekend has been the focus of increased police efforts to reduce gun violence over the past few months, Toronto’s police chief says.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference Tuesday, Chief Mark Saunders said he knows that the city has been shocked by the crime. The woman, Candice Rochelle Bobb, was shot and declared dead late Sunday and her prematurely delivered baby remains in hospital where he is fighting for his life.
Saunders said the Jamestown area where Bobb was shot is known to have frequent gun violence, much of it gang-related.“In that Jamestown area, 50 per cent of the shootings we know are gang related,” Saunders said.
Saunders had few new details about the investigation into Bobb’s death. While he said the vehicle she was in was definitely targeted, he wouldn’t say who the intended target may have been.
He said the police service poured more resources into the area after detecting a pattern of increased gun violence and said their efforts have produced some results.
“When you look at the numbers, they clearly show that in the month of March it was down to three homicides,” Saunders said.
“We are putting the resources in the right place, we are making those positive differences, but still we’re a city of 2.8 million people and people are producing handguns,” he said.
He said police have seized 250 firearms so far this year.
City still safe, despite violence
Saunders also recognized that “we have seen this year in Toronto very significant increases in homicide and other gun related crimes.”
There have been 29 homicides in the city so far this year compared with 15 at this point in 2015 and 20 at this point in 2014, Suanders said.
He said the increased violence is part of an upward trend of violent crime across many cities on the continent and that there is no simple solution to a complex problem.
He maintained that despite a spike in gun violence, Toronto remains the safest urban centre in North America.
“I still think this is the safest city in North America and the men and women are going to do their part to make sure it’s safe,” Saunders said.
Asked about an open letter penned Tuesday by Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack saying that there is a “growing disconnect” between police and the public, Saunders said he hadn’t given the letter much thought.
“I read the letter and I didn’t think much of it,” Saunders said. “My role, my function and my responsibility is to do my best to make sure the men and women are doing their best to keep this city safe.”
Saunders said there is no “homerun” solution for reducing violent crime. However he said more resources need to be invested in neighbourhoods where people feel hopeless. He also said that it is vital that those with information about perpetrators of violent crimes come forward to police.
As an example, he said Bobb’s case is ‘very solvable’ and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Despite the usual uptick of violence in the summer months, Saunders said he was not concerned about a possible surge in violence in the months ahead.
“We’re going to do what we need to do to keep the city safe,” Saunders said. “It’s something that we’ve always done and we’re going to make sure that the public feels safe.”