Toronto has closed the book on 2011 with the lowest homicide total in a quarter century.

The city recorded 45 homicides, the lowest number since 1986 when there were 37 murders. In 2010 there were 61 homicides.

This is also the fourth straight year of declines since 2007 when the city recorded its deadliest year (matched in 1991) with 86 homicides.

The big drop in Toronto numbers no doubt bolsters Chief Bill Blair’s image, which took a hit in 2010 following the mass arrests during the meeting of G20 leaders and the controversy that followed.

Blair says there’s still more work to do.

“I think we can make this city safer,” the chief told the Star.

The chief attributed some of the decline in 2011 to the disruption of gang activity following sweeping raids carried out across the city and region.

Of 2011’s homicides, 26 were carried out by gun.

“If we don’t have those guns and that gang violence, look where we would be,” said Blair. “I think that’s what we should aspire to. I’m pleased with what we’ve achieved, but I strive to achieve more.”

In contrast to what’s happening in Toronto, murder totals have climbed in the adjacent regions of Peel (from 7 to 16) and Halton (from 2 to 4) while in York Region the murder count is up one (from 7 to 8).

Only in Durham Region has there been a decline such as that experienced in Toronto. The region has recorded only two homicides in 2011, which is down from the seven recorded in 2010.

In the 1950s, Toronto’s homicide numbers were consistently under 20, but it had only a quarter of today’s population of 2.5 million. And guns and gangs were not the scourge they are today.

After 1985, homicides started to rise consistently.

“What happened in 1985 was crack cocaine came to Toronto,” said Blair, who was then a member of the drug squad.

“The level of violence jumped on us and they never really ever came down to the level that we’re experiencing today,” the chief said.

The decline is partly due to the great work of police, he said, and the work of police partners in community engagement and prevention programs.

“You just can’t arrest your way out of an issue,” Blair said.

Blair added the city is now reaping the rewards for investments made since about 2006.

“That work has to be acknowledged,” Blair said. “A lot of people think you make a big gang arrest and that’s it, and that’s going to create a sense of peace and safety. You’ve got so much work to do.”

Blair said uniformed police have to support the community after an outbreak of violence and police depend on youth workers, faith leaders, and school leaders to conduct their behind-the-scenes work.

Across the country, homicides have been declining since the 1970s, according to the government data-collecting agency Statistics Canada.

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The homicide capital of Canada for the second straight year was Thunder Bay, with a rate of 4.2 homicides per 100,000 population.

The GTA was well down the pack with a rate of 1.4 murders per 100,000 population.

Yet even as major crime falls, police personnel and expenditures are increasing across the country.

Blair says he understands the argument for police cutbacks.

“I think it’s something we as a police service have to look at, how we maintain levels of service and how we maintain that level of safety and what’s been achieved at the most economical. We’re committed to doing that work.”

However, he said people can sometimes think too narrowly about what policing is about.

“It’s not just about locking up the bad guys, so that if there are fewer bad guys we need fewer police,” Blair said. “A huge part of our work is preventive. It’s getting out in the communities and making a difference.”

Around the GTA, Peel’s significant rise from seven to 16 homicides could be considered a one-year blip.

In 2010, Peel’s total represented the lowest in a decade and a dramatic drop from the 27 murders in 2008 — the worst on record.

George Koekkoek, head of homicide for Peel police, said 2011 has been “a mixed bag” of a few domestic homicides, including two which were domestic murder-suicides.

There are no indicators, he said, that point to anything unusual to account for the drop.

“I wish I could put a finger on it, but I don’t think we can from one year to the next,” Koekkoek said.

With files from Star library

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