Back-to-back stabbings renew safety concerns in Ottawa’s core

Two stabbings in the downtown core in less than 24 hours are renewing safety concerns in the area. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

Two stabbings less than 24 hours apart have renewed concerns of safety in Ottawa’s downtown core, even as police say the incidents were not random and do not reflect a rise in violent crime.

A man was critically injured Monday night after what police say was an attempted robbery near George and Dalhousie streets. Less than a day later, a woman in her 20s was seriously injured in a stabbing near Rideau and Cumberland streets. Police have not announced any arrests in either case, and both investigations remain ongoing.

The incidents come roughly five months after a fatal stabbing outside the doors of the Rideau Centre in February, adding to public concern about violence in the ByWard Market and surrounding downtown area.

For James Saunders, who lives nearby, Ottawa remains a safe city overall, but he says the downtown core feels different.

“Outside of this area right here, everything is pretty good,” Saunders told CTV News Ottawa from the Byward Market. “but this area here is where I don’t feel the safest and this is where I live.”

He says open drug use and encounters with people in crisis have become part of everyday life in the neighbourhood.

“You get sworn at, all kinds of foul language,” he says. “If a person is walking around with serious problems and you recognize them, you know they’re there. Take them in and get them help. Period.”

Ottawa police acknowledge the recent incidents have heightened residents’ worry but say the data does not point to a growing trend in violent stabbing crimes downtown.

Insp. Cory Robertson says the Ottawa police service has maintained an increased police presence in the ByWard Market and surrounding downtown area since the beginning of May, with officers conducting high-visibility patrols and engaging with residents, businesses and visitors.

“We need to be down there and be present and be visible, making people feel safe, but also be safe and that’s our approach right now,” he says. “This isn’t somebody down having dinner, that’s become a victim of a stabbing or an assault. These aren’t random events as far as our investigation has revealed. Although these are serious and we are taking them very seriously, they are not random attacks.”

The Ottawa Police Service says its core patrol and neighbourhood resource teams have continued targeted enforcement in the downtown core. During a high-visibility initiative last weekend, officers carried out dozens of enforcement actions while focusing on crime prevention, community engagement and increasing police visibility.

Police say they will continue working with community partners while maintaining an enhanced presence in the ByWard Market and surrounding downtown neighbourhoods in an effort to improve safety for residents, businesses and visitors.

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