The Halifax Regional Municipality has seen several violent incidents in recent days, raising public safety concerns for some people.
On Friday, Halifax police found an injured woman lying on a roadway in the city’s north end. She later died in hospital.
Just a day later, police say a man was stabbed from behind while walking in Dartmouth that morning.
A six-year-old boy is still recovering in hospital after he was allegedly stabbed by a 19-year-old woman last week.
“It’s very disturbing. It’s very upsetting to see these acts of violence happen. Public safety is paramount (and) on our mind at the city right now,” said Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore.
Fillmore says he’ll be “looking forward to understanding more about what’s behind these incidents”
Mary Ann Campbell, a psychology professor with the University of New Brunswick, says many factors can play a role in the increase of crime.
“Violence is diverse. It’s not all motivated by the same thing and it’s not all going to be reduced by the same strategy,” says Campbell.
She says a rise in poverty and financial difficulty are factors, and, while it’s rare, mental health can be one, too.
“There are about five-to-10 per cent of all forms of violent crime that may have something to do with someone who has a mental health issue that has been so bad that it’s interfered with their ability to understand what’s going on around them to really make proper decisions because of hallucinations, delusions, their distorted sense of reality,” says Campbell.
She says in most cases, people will mental illnesses are less likely to engage in violent behaviours and are more likely to be victimized by it.
“One thing we don’t want to do is just say, ‘We need tougher sentences,’ and put more people in jail. All that gets you is more criminality, and folks eventually get back into the community. So, the effort should be on rehabilitation and prevention,” she says.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
