'The system is broken,' police chief says as gun violence surges. One expert offers a solution

London is seeing a surge in gun violence this year, and the police chief is blaming a "broken" criminal justice system. Experts in violent crime, however, say there needs to be a larger focus on identifying and addressing risk factors.

Six shootings took place in August, London Police Service Chief Thai Truong said at a press conference on Wednesday morning. This brings the total number of shootings for London in 2025 to 16.

In one instance, more than 30 bullets were fired at a home and vehicle in a residential neighbourhood — and the family living there appears to have no connection to the crime, Truong said.

"This was an outrageous act that could have claimed the lives of innocent people," he said. "This kind of violence, and the total disregard for public safety, is a symptom of a larger issue…the criminal justice system."

Three things are needed, Truong said: bail reform, a review of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), and harsher sentences.

But those who specialize in violent crime are saying those changes alone will not lead to a reduction in violent crime. To see the outcomes of harsher sentences, for example, one only needs to compare a city like Toronto to a city like Chicago, said Irvin Waller, an emeritus professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa and author of the book Science And Secrets Of Ending Violent Crime.

"Today in Canada, people on police service boards or city councils or Members of Parliament, unfortunately, are not really aware of the things that reduce gun violence over a relatively short period of time," Waller said.

While the bail system in Canada does need tweaks to ensure violent offenders remain off the streets, he said, cities that are seeing real success in violent crime reduction are making those strides by identifying the risk factors involved and working proactively to stop crime before it happens.

Some of these risk factors, Waller said, include family upbringing, and whether a young person is being brought up under circumstances that could lead to emotional difficulties or challenges at school that could make that individual more likely to engage in violent crime.

It's important to distinguish between root causes and risk factors, Waller pointed out. A root cause may be something such as poverty, but that is not something that can be eliminated in five years. Addressing risk factors, on the other hand, means focusing on the people who are subject to those root causes and identifying what can be addressed, Waller said.

To provide a real-world example, Waller pointed to Boston, where the city brought together heads of school boards, health, police and social services to look into gun violence. Together, they identified ways to address the risk factors involved, Waller said, and it helped reduce gun violence by 50 per cent.

If London wanted to see a similarly dramatic decrease in violent crimes, it would involve investing time and money up front, Waller said. While the federal government often hands out smaller sums to municipalities for crime prevention, it's not enough to make a meaningful difference, he said.

"You can't reduce violence across the City of London with a couple of projects of $1 million," he said. "If you started with $25 million you would see results in the overall violent crime rate, the overall rates of gun violence."

The City of London could put together a small team of people with expertise in crime reduction strategies, he said, and they could propose to cit council exactly what an investment of that size could deliver.

If the cost seems high, it can often be offset by the returns on the investment, Waller said. For example, less money would need to be spent on policing in the long run, he said — if crime rates decrease, police services do not require budget increases to keep up. For London, where the city approved a historic $672 million funding request for police, this could amount to substantial savings down the road, he added.

Setting serious targets will also be necessary, Waller said.

"You need to have a plan on how you're going to reduce violent crime and not just play politics or try to expand your budget.

"I would like to see London decide that they're going to target, over the next 10 years, a 50 per cent reduction in violent crime, including those involved in guns and including violence within the home. You set that over 10 years and you expect to achieve a 20 to 25 per cent reduction within five years."