Staggering Crime Statistics Highlight Liberal Failure on Combating Crime: Wakeham

(August 2, 2024, St. John’s N.L.)

Tony Wakeham, Leader of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Progressive Conservatives and MHA for Stephenville – Port au Port, has expressed grave concerns following the release of alarming new statistics documenting a significant rise in crime within the province.  This spilled out into an apparent homicide earlier this week in broad daylight, in the middle of St. John’s, just steps away from St. Clare’s Hospital, which has the capital city shaken.

A Statistics Canada report released last Friday has revealed a stark increase in criminal activities nationwide and provincially, revealing a troubling trend of escalating crime rates in Newfoundland and Labrador.

One of the most concerning findings is the dramatic rise in the occurrence of sexual assault with a weapon or sexual assault causing bodily harm, which has nearly doubled across Canada but has surged from one case in 2015 to 17 cases in 2023 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“These increases highlight an alarming growth of crime in our communities, particularly inter-partner violence,” stated Wakeham. “Things are getting much worse in this province. Whether it is caused by our revolving door prison, our lack of rehabilitation programs, the illegal drugs flooding our shores, or a government not providing the support our police services need.  We have heard concerns about significant vacancies in our police forces and no plan from the Furey Liberals to deal with it.”

The report also indicates a 20% increase in total property crime and a 40% rise in total violent crime in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We constantly hear from municipal leaders and residents, such as seniors, about the lack of police presence in their communities,” continued Wakeham. “More people are not feeling safe in their homes due to increased drug and criminal activity and have expressed concern that response times are too long and sometimes no one shows up at all.”

“The Furey Liberals have failed to get a new prison constructed. Convicted criminals are getting out early, and over-stretched police resources are swamped. This is an absolute failure.”