Homicide tally hits eight-year low point

It has been nearly a decade since there were so few murders in Calgary, but that statistic brings little solace to the families of the 11 people killed in 2011.

Ben Ongera's killing during a fight outside a Taradale condo complex in September left three children without their father, a mother without her son and an extended family missing a beloved relative.

"It's terrible," said Ongera's cousin, Sam Kassiba. "I still don't believe it sometimes. I want to call him, to think he's still there and I can call him."

One of Ongera's friends has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case, one of seven in which police have laid charges.

At a time when Edmonton experienced a record-setting 45 murders, Calgary has logged the fewest since 2003, when there were 10 cases.

But just as no single factor pushed Edmonton to its record in 2011, there is no pat explanation for the relatively placid year in Calgary.

A gang war helped drive Calgary's murder numbers to historic highs between 2005 and 2009, but police Chief Rick Hanson said stemming the violence between the two factions is only one of many factors behind the current decline.

"This has been a steady reduction since about 2007-08," Hanson said. "In '06, '07, '08, we were neck and neck with Edmonton. We really were. We initiated a number of strategies based on analysis."

One area targeted by police was gang activity in bars and clubs in the city's entertainment districts.

Although the gang suppression team that now patrols the city's nightspots was formed at the height of the killings between FOB and FK in 2008, police said its presence has also helped cut down on all kinds of alcohol-fuelled violence among bar patrons.

"They're all over the entertainment district and recognizing problems before they become bigger problems," said Staff Sgt. Grant Miller of the murder unit.

The gang-related shootings and stabbings that took place on city streets a few years ago made the public uneasy, but historically most murders take place behind closed doors, among people who know each other. Of the 365 recorded Calgary murders since 1992, 25 per cent involve a spouse, intimate partner or relative who either committed the crime or stands accused of it.

Yet in 2011, only one of the city's 11 murders is a confirmed domestic case.

"The domestic violence model employed in Calgary, is basically your murder prevention unit. We've called it that for years, and it's true. It's a very scientific, analytical approach to identifying the most high-risk domestics and targeting them in the most effective way," Hanson said.

A coalition of police, prosecutors and local agencies are behind HomeFront, a specialized domestic violence court. The initiative aims to break the cycle of abuse by offering treatment to perpetrators who are willing to change and jailing the ones who aren't.

When the court first started hearing cases in 2000, between 30 per cent and 35 per cent of defendants would go on to face a new accusation of domestic violence. The recidivism rate among domestic abusers eligible for the specialized court now sits at about 12 per cent.

Crime trends evolve, so there's no way of knowing whether Calgary's low murder number or Edmonton's record-setting total are anomalies or a sign of things to come.

For his part, Hanson said he believes Calgary's numbers will keep heading in the right direction, thanks to strategic policing.

"Will it continue? I think it will, to a large degree. Will it be subject to fluctuations? Absolutely. Is it possible we could see a gang war erupt next month, next week, tomorrow night because some new group is moving into Calgary? Sure, absolutely. But the reduction in crime here, especially murder, is not luck," he said. "We're going to keep the pressure on."

jvanrassel@calgaryherald.com

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