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Crimes on TTC jumped in 2006
Handheld devices become target
OMAR EL AKKAD
With a report from Jeff Gray
June 9, 2007
More crimes were committed on Toronto's public transportation system in 2006 than in any of the previous six years, according to a recently released TTC report.
Toronto Transit Commission figures show crime rates jumped sharply last year, in large part due to the increasing number of riders carrying handheld electronic devices, which make for appealing and easy targets.
In all, there were 3,415 Criminal Code offences on the TTC, substantially higher than the five-year average of 2,793. The number of crimes committed against customers increased to 1,601, compared with the five-year average of 1,194. The number of arrests on the TTC jumped from 830 in 2005 to 986 last year.
Over all, the transit crime rate was at its highest level since 2000, the earliest year for which data was readily available.
"I wouldn't call crime out of control on the system," TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said. "We do have a slight increase. We've found in other areas that these increases sometimes are blips -- we hope that's what it is."
TTC Chief Special Constable Terry Andrews said a number of factors contributed to the spike, including several large fraud investigations. In one such case, an investigation involving Canadian and U.S. authorities busted up a multimillion-dollar counterfeit token ring.
But TTC constables have also seen a jump in the number of thefts, which they say is directly related to the increase in cellphones, music players and other handheld electronic devices that commuters carry.
"These are attractive targets," Special Constable Andrews said, "not only on the TTC, but we've also seen a rash of such incidents within the community."
But while the majority of crimes don't result in serious injuries, there have been a number of violent incidents in TTC locations recently. On May 31, a TTC employee was stabbed repeatedly at the Lawrence West subway station. Police allege an assailant walked up to the employee, who was in the collector's booth, and tossed a cup of gasoline at the booth. The assailant then demanded the employee open the booth door. When the employee complied, the assailant stabbed him, took a handful of cash and ran off.
The most serious TTC crime in recent months took place on April 13 at the Kennedy subway station. Police found Nick Brown, 21, badly wounded inside an otherwise empty subway car -- he had been stabbed and later died of his injuries. Less than a week later, a 16-year-old was stabbed in the back as he stood on a bus platform at the same station. The stabbings prompted the TTC to boost the number of special constables manning the station.
In 2005, the TTC approved a $6.5-million plan to hire an additional 102 staff members over the next 10 years, virtually all of them special constables. The new hires, in turn, have helped facilitate larger investigations ranging from fake metro-pass operations to iPod snatchings and parking-lot thefts.
"We continue to monitor the trends, and when we see a spike we aggressively go after it," Special Constable Andrews said. "Over the years it seems we've moved from one issue to another."
Crimes on TTC jumped in 2006
Handheld devices become target
OMAR EL AKKAD
With a report from Jeff Gray
June 9, 2007
More crimes were committed on Toronto's public transportation system in 2006 than in any of the previous six years, according to a recently released TTC report.
Toronto Transit Commission figures show crime rates jumped sharply last year, in large part due to the increasing number of riders carrying handheld electronic devices, which make for appealing and easy targets.
In all, there were 3,415 Criminal Code offences on the TTC, substantially higher than the five-year average of 2,793. The number of crimes committed against customers increased to 1,601, compared with the five-year average of 1,194. The number of arrests on the TTC jumped from 830 in 2005 to 986 last year.
Over all, the transit crime rate was at its highest level since 2000, the earliest year for which data was readily available.
"I wouldn't call crime out of control on the system," TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said. "We do have a slight increase. We've found in other areas that these increases sometimes are blips -- we hope that's what it is."
TTC Chief Special Constable Terry Andrews said a number of factors contributed to the spike, including several large fraud investigations. In one such case, an investigation involving Canadian and U.S. authorities busted up a multimillion-dollar counterfeit token ring.
But TTC constables have also seen a jump in the number of thefts, which they say is directly related to the increase in cellphones, music players and other handheld electronic devices that commuters carry.
"These are attractive targets," Special Constable Andrews said, "not only on the TTC, but we've also seen a rash of such incidents within the community."
But while the majority of crimes don't result in serious injuries, there have been a number of violent incidents in TTC locations recently. On May 31, a TTC employee was stabbed repeatedly at the Lawrence West subway station. Police allege an assailant walked up to the employee, who was in the collector's booth, and tossed a cup of gasoline at the booth. The assailant then demanded the employee open the booth door. When the employee complied, the assailant stabbed him, took a handful of cash and ran off.
The most serious TTC crime in recent months took place on April 13 at the Kennedy subway station. Police found Nick Brown, 21, badly wounded inside an otherwise empty subway car -- he had been stabbed and later died of his injuries. Less than a week later, a 16-year-old was stabbed in the back as he stood on a bus platform at the same station. The stabbings prompted the TTC to boost the number of special constables manning the station.
In 2005, the TTC approved a $6.5-million plan to hire an additional 102 staff members over the next 10 years, virtually all of them special constables. The new hires, in turn, have helped facilitate larger investigations ranging from fake metro-pass operations to iPod snatchings and parking-lot thefts.
"We continue to monitor the trends, and when we see a spike we aggressively go after it," Special Constable Andrews said. "Over the years it seems we've moved from one issue to another."