Niagara police say more homicide detectives needed as numbers spike

During a police service board meeting on Thursday, Niagara police Staff Sgt. Andrew Knevel said more homicide detectives are needed to address the rising number of homicides taking place in the Niagara region.

Knevel said Niagara has had an average of 11 homicides per year since 2021, up from an average of four homicides annually in the previous four years.

More homicides means more resources and hours of labour are directed towards investigative work – as well as more money from the budget. 

Each homicide could take up to 5,000 hours of time, estimates Kevin Gibson, a former RCMP officer.

“As we continue with these investigations, they continue to get more and more complex,” Knevel said.

“Obviously we’re held to an extremely high standard and it’s extremely resource intensive. […] We do this to the best of our ability, but certainly with the addition of more resources comes better outcomes ultimately in the end.”

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