Public safety at ‘serious risk’ given huge number of guns seized in Mississauga, Brampton: police chief

An “alarming increase” in the number of illegal guns showing up on the streets of Mississauga and Brampton poses “a serious risk to public safety,” the region’s police chief says.

A “staggering” 205 illegal firearms were seized this year (one every 36 hours, investigators note) by Peel Regional Police, 2024 numbers show, an increase of more than 60 from 2023. The recovered guns were connected to 147 shootings this past year, a 72 per cent hike from the previous year, police brass note.

“The alarming increase of illegal firearms in our communities is a serious risk to public safety, and I want to commend our officers for their continued efforts to remove more and more of these weapons from our streets” Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said recently.

“On average, we are seeing an illegal firearm seized by our officers every 36 hours. Addressing gun and gang violence is a top priority for our service.”

Of the 205 guns seized in the past 12 months, 53 — or more than one-quarter — were recovered by a specialized unit of police officers tasked to get illegal guns off the streets and arrest violent criminals in Mississauga and Brampton.

Those seizures by the 16-member Strategic and Tactical Enforcement Policing team — aka the STEP unit, formed in 2007 — are more than double the number the unit seized last year and triple the number of guns taken out of criminals’ hands by STEP in 2022, the police chief said.

Furthermore, police noted, 41 of the 53 guns are known to have been smuggled into Ontario from the U.S. while the majority of the remaining dozen were also most likely brought to Peel in the same manner, but have not yet been conclusively tested to show such a history.

The STEP team, whose officers work undercover in many cases to target gang violence and guns, also made 50 arrests (leading to 40 drug-related charges and 461 criminal charges overall) in relation to the more than four dozen guns seized.

“STEP officers deploy in geographical areas that have the highest statistical concentration of gang, firearm and drug activity throughout Peel, conducting proactive patrols to enhance police visibility and assist with community safety and well-being,” police said in a news release.

“Their main goal,” Peel Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said earlier of STEP members, “is to seize illegal firearms and arrest the violent repeat offenders who are possessing them.”

Illegal guns brought to the region are then used in the fast-growing number of violent crimes in Mississauga and Brampton such as home invasions, carjackings and robberies, Duraiappah said.

He added Peel has seen a 300 per cent increase in home invasions in 2024 compared to last year while carjackings are up 80 per cent and shootings up by 72 per cent.

The guns “are tools for violence that lead to devastating consequences,” the police chief said earlier, noting rising gun violence isn’t only a problem in Peel, but across the GTA and Ontario as well.

Also of concern — and frustration — to Peel police, the deputy chief added, is that of the 50 people arrested and charged by the STEP team this year, 25 are now out on bail.

A number of seized guns were displayed at a press conference held in December by Peel Regional Police. Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah is at far left.

Earlier this fall, Duraiappah said gun violence in Mississauga and Brampton is at an all-time high in the wake of 46 shootings in July and August alone in which 19 people were injured and one killed.

The police chief said at the time illegal firearms are 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 July, Peel police revealed details of a largest-ever bust in which 69 of 71 guns — 67 handguns, four assault-style rifles — that were confiscated had been smuggled into Ontario from the U.S. Investigators said at the time they believed the weapons were destined for use in home invasions, carjackings and other violent crimes in Mississauga, Brampton and across the GTA.

Peel police also noted earlier that nearly 100 per cent of carjackings and home invasions in Peel are carried out using illegal guns that have been smuggled into Canada from south of the border.