Stabbing incidents in Winnipeg are on the rise.

In Winnipeg violent crime is reaching an all time high. With good reason, many people are citing gang violence as the culprit for the recent spike in shockingly brutal activity. Citizens are turning with raised eyebrows to a provincial government that has been fighting a ‘war on gang violence’ for ten years with little success. In fact the number of serious trauma cases in the city is growing by as much as 10% a year. One 13 year-old boy who, along with his nine year-old sister witnessed a violent altercation between gang members in his neighbourhood said, “…I just wear black or something. If I wear red around here I’ll get shot or something.” Some officials are attributing the recent increase to the availability of weapons on the street, as gun crime is on the rise.

However, it would appear that gang violence is not the cause for the bulk of the full morgue slabs and hospital beds. Only 26% of homicides in Manitoba are gang related. (more…)