Quarterly statistical reports

Q1. Why has the SPVM decided to publish quarterly reports when annual reports already exist?

In the interest of transparency, the SPVM has chosen to publish reports on a quarterly basis to provide the community with the most up-to-date information possible.

The SPVM also hopes that the dissemination of these reports will better inform citizens about the crime landscape in their area.

Q2. Is the information contained in the quarterly reports different from that found in SPVM activity reports?

The quarterly reports contain a large portion of statistics on crime, road safety, and 911 calls that will be included on an annual basis in SPVM activity reports.

The data in the quarterly reports have been carefully selected. These are prioritized indicators that inform citizens about the essentials of police activity in their area.

It should also be noted that this data is evolving. The annual statistics published in activity reports for a given category will therefore not necessarily correspond to the exact sum of the figures contained in the quarterly reports for the corresponding period.

For example, an event in which a person is injured during an altercation could initially be classified as a serious assault. If the victim were to die, this same event could eventually be included in homicide statistics in a later report.

Q3. Could new statistical categories eventually be added to the quarterly reports?

Yes. The quarterly reports are documents whose form and content are likely to evolve and be improved. The SPVM is committed to making as much information as possible available to citizens based on the means it has to collect it.

The SPVM must also ensure that the collected data is reliable and provides an accurate picture of the situation before making it public.

Q4. While reviewing the most recent quarterly report for my neighborhood station, I noticed a significant variation in a crime category. How can this situation be explained?

The quarterly reports contain statistics covering a relatively short period and events that have occurred in a limited area. Some of these events, which will be compiled in the reports, will have occurred a very small number of times during the period covered by the report.

The smaller the number of times an event has occurred, the greater the statistical variation will be if there were to be an increase or decrease. Take the example of a rare crime like hit and run, which occurred only three times in a PDQ territory. If four hit and runs were to be recorded in the following period, we would then see a 25% increase. In reality, the increase remains modest.

The analysis of certain statistics contained in the reports therefore requires taking a longer-term perspective and considering the broader context of crime in Montreal.

Q5. Who can I contact to get more information about statistics contained in the quarterly reports?

We invite you to write to us by filling out a form on our website.