The Edmonton Police Service has released its new policy when it comes to publicly naming homicide victims.

Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht is once again defending the police service's policy to not release the name of every homicide victim in the city.

Of the 37 homicides that happened in the first nine months of 2017, 62 per cent happened in north Edmonton. Seven of the deaths happened on a Wednesday and three of the victims were younger than nine years old.