Vancouver’s unsolved homicide rate is higher than any other metro area in Canada: stats

There was some relief earlier this month when a suspect was charged in the horrific murder of Marpole couple Dianna Mah-Jones and Richard Jones.

But how often police in Metro Vancouver manage to find a murder suspect and see them charged is another story.

Coverage of the Marpole double murder on Globalnews.ca:

1:31 Marpole murder suspect makes first appearance in court

• Marpole murder suspect makes first appearance in court
• Marpole Murder Suspect in Court
• New details about Marpole double murder suspect
• Marpole murder charges
• Gruesome new details emerge in Marpole double murder case

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Murders in Vancouver often go unsolved — the police department’s own statistics show that its clearance rate for homicides was only 46 per cent last year, as of the latest data.

The average across Metro Vancouver between 2000 and 2015? Just 61 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

That’s the lowest of any metropolitan area across the country, as shown in the following graph:

And it comes amid a falling violent crime rate.

Violent crime and crime in general is falling across the country and so is the rate at which it’s being solved, criminologist Michael Arntfield told Global News.

“There are fewer murders per 100,000, all things being equal, and police having the resources that they need, that those fewer cases should be solved more expeditiously, more effectively, when in reality it’s the opposite,” he said.

“There are fewer cases, fewer of those fewer cases are being solved.”

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Criminologists have said the falling rates are coming about, in part, due to underfunding and a redistribution of resources away from major crimes.

Another reason? Gang crime can be tougher to solve. And Crown counsel will only lay charges in cases that are likely to see a conviction.

“I think we’ve been trending in the right direction in most cases,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

“But certainly we’re looking at this next budget as a key time to make sure that the VPD has the resources that they need.”

READ MORE: Charges laid in murder of Vancouver couple Dianna Mah-Jones and Richard Jones

Unsolved murders is one reason why people have supported the idea of unifying Metro Vancouver’s police departments into a unified force.

But the idea isn’t seeing much traction in Victoria.

“Until some time as a local government says we’d like to explore it further, I think the key priority for us is to focus on those current integrated teams and ensure they have the resources they need,” said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.