Five homicides in 2022 involved domestic violence, say WRPS

Some disturbing statistics are shedding a light on the severity and frequency of domestic violence incidents in Waterloo region.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service said five of the six homicides they investigated in 2022 involved violence between family members or intimate partners.

“It’s certainly a concerning number,” said Sgt. Jamie Brosseau of the Intimate Partner Violence Unit. “Oftentimes, with homicide investigations, there are warning signs. There are potential indicators that something may happen.”

It’s unclear why a majority of last year’s homicides involved domestic violence, but they’re seeing a steady increase in the number of incidents reported and in charges laid.

“We do see it go up a certain percentage every year,” Sgt. Brosseau told CTV News. “Last year we laid over 3,800 criminal charges in relation to intimate partner violence.”

Police said they received nearly 6,200 of those types of calls in 2022.

Brosseau adds that those calls are usually from a third-party, sometimes a family member, friend or neighbour.

“We do see very tragic cases unfortunately,” he said.

One of those fatalities Waterloo regional police investigated happened last March.

A 15-year-old girl died after she was stabbed by a family member at a Waterloo home. Police later charged an 18-year-old man with first-degree murder. At the time, investigators told CTV News the two lived in the house together and neighbours identified them as brother and sister.

Jennifer Hutton, the CEO of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, has also seen a rising number of cases.

“Unfortunately we are quite busy, because domestic violence rates are very high and probably higher than ever right now,” she said. “We see about 2,000 folks in outreach. That [has] actually grown over the past year, about 78 per cent.”

Those outreach programs provide support like housing, finances, safety planning and risk assessments.

Hutton said there were 55 femicides in Ontario in 2022.

“We know there is some timeline attached to the pandemic, where we have seen rates of domestic violence increase. We know this has impacted mental health. This has impacted addictions.”

Hutton said the need for community supports is greater than ever before.

“Not only are we seeing an increased demand for our services, the level of violence that people have experienced is a bit more intense,” she said. “Domestic violence will continue to exist because of shame and secrecy. It’s something we need to talk about so people don’t feel alone.”

Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region is urging anyone experiencing domestic violence to reach out for support.