Gun violence at all-time high in Mississauga, Brampton: Peel police chief

Gun violence in Mississauga and Brampton is at an all-time high, says Peel’s chief of police in pointing to 46 shootings in July and August alone in which 19 people were injured.

Noting officers in his ranks seize, on average, one illegal gun every 36 hours, Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said illegal firearms are being used in the commission of many different crimes including targeted shootings, carjackings, extortions, home invasion and other robberies, and gang violence.

“We’ve seen a concerning rise in the number of illegal firearms in our region leading to more gun violence than we’ve ever seen. This is not just an issue affecting Peel, but it’s a trend right across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond,” Duraiappah said in a two-minute video posted to social media on Wednesday (see link below).

The region’s highest-ranking police officer added that in those 46 summer shootings, 28 people were arrested and 51 guns seized, “40 of which were illegal firearms in the hands of criminals.”

In total, 378 shots were fired in the shootings, Duraiappah noted.

Police statistics from July/August contained in a news release that accompanied Duraiappah’s address to residents didn’t indicate if any of the shootings resulted in deaths, nor did they show how many of the incidents took place in Mississauga.

In addition to a concern about the gun-related crimes being committed on his turf, Peel’s police chief said he’s also troubled by something else.

“Our officers have made 28 arrests related to these incidents and what’s alarming is more than half of those individuals are on some form of release, which includes bail,” he said, adding that’s an issue for police across Ontario and one he’ll continue to prioritize in Peel.

“These repeat violent offenders pose a risk to our community. We’ve been very vocal in advocating for stronger bail conditions and changes to the bail system because the safety of our residents is non-negotiable.”

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah says gun violence is on the rise in Peel and across the GTA. (Image: Peel Regional Police video)

Duraiappah said in response to the “concerning numbers” in Peel, his troops have established specialized units and deployed specialized officers “to do both proactive and targeted enforcement and to ensure that every illegal firearm possible can be seized.”

The Peel police statistics for July and August show more than 177,000 calls were answered, with officers responding to some 60,000 incidents in the two months.

“These calls vary in severity and range from noise complaints to weapons calls to fatal collisions and homicides,” police said.

Also of note, police say, is that the number of firearm seizures across the region is significantly up from 2023.

Numbers show that between January and September 2023, officers in Mississauga and Brampton seized 84 illegal firearms. During the same period this year, 157 illegal guns — an 86 per cent increase — were grabbed by cops.

Despite the increase in gun violence, Peel police say the region “continues to be one of the safest communities in the country.”