Montreal has been subject to a spree of organized crime shootings. In this year alone, there have been 17 murders in the greater Montreal area, according to Global News. These shootings have become increasingly brutal and audacious.

Despite this, the police have, so far, declined to comment on whether Montreal has experienced a disproportionate amount of crime this year. This doesn’t just pertain to organized crime, however, as sporadic crime is also on the up in the city.

The Montreal police have been criticized for their lack of transparency in reporting these crimes to the general public. In Toronto, for instance, the police will publish crime statistics every month. This does not happen in Montreal, and the level and growth of crime remains opaque.

The only method available to the press and the general public is to file a freedom of information request—a process that is painfully slow and tedious. When the Montreal newspaper, La Presse, attempted to compile a list of the number of murders, attempted murders, and shootings, they were unable to do so due to the lack of statistics.

Many crime experts have blamed the increase of organized crime on a power vacuum within the mafia underworld.