Winnipeg Police say there is no apparent underlying cause to the city's rising number of homicides this year.

The City of Winnipeg saw 41 homicide in 2011 - the highest it has ever been. On Sunday, October 27, Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) says the city is possibly on its way to reaching or exceeding that number as WPS has currently investigated 36 homicides this year.

From 10:45 p.m. on October 26 to October 27, 2019, at 3:15 p.m WPS responded to two cases of homicide, involving three victims, and a shooting involving four people - one being an infant.

In a release on Sunday WPS says, "The tragic incidents that have taken place within the City over the past 18 hours have placed a significant strain on Winnipeg Police Service resources.

"We will continue to triage all calls for service and prioritize personal and public safety over property concerns and incidents where there is no immediate threat. We ask those waiting for a police response during this time to please be patient."

Constable Rob Carver says of investigators, "Everybody felt that they were functioning at a pretty high level - they were on top of things."

Both homicides, says Carver, "Have a large number of investigators assigned to this and they are working on both."

Carver says the increase in fatalities on Winnipeg streets don't seem to have an apparent cause as, "The nature of homicides is that they are random.

"We might go for a month and nothing will happen and then a similar cluster could occur. It is the nature of homicides. We are certainly on track to a horrible number."

Crimes with weapons have increased alongside the number of homicides and Carver says WPS officers see this every day on the streets: "An awful lot of people we arrest have edged weapons on them.

"Sometimes we see people carrying scissors, or there have been a large number of machetes. We don't know why people are carrying more, but officers when arresting people are very regularly finding people armed. That translates into an awful lot of assaults with knives, edged weapons, and homicides."

"There is not a day where we are not seizing a firearm in the streets."

Carver says guns in the streets are a common occurrence: "The number of firearm seizures this year is significantly higher in the number last year, and that was year than the year before."

But Carver says, from his and other officers' experience, federal legislation would not impact the number of illegal firearms at all. Guns are getting into the hands of criminals in various ways, says Carver, and the current legislation in place covers all situations, but illegal guns will get into the hands of criminals illegally no matter what.

"We don't see any underlying issue," says Carver. "We are not seeing violence between particular gangs - certainly there is gang activity, but not ongoing feuds that are fuelling a series of homicides. Tragically, it is just random. There have been a number this year that are so random that I know there are a couple there was no rhyme or reason why someone was killed."

For those feeling uneasy about the apparent rise in violent crime in Winnipeg, Carver says, "I live in the city, my family lives in the city, my friends and relatives are in the city. Typically, the homicides we see, we know that the homicides are usually linked to people who are already part of a criminal subculture - that there are drugs and gang connections.

"If you are not part of a criminal subculture, if you are dealing or buying drugs, the chances of you being involved in an incident are far lower than if you are. If you want to be safe, don't hang around with criminals. And don't buy and sell drugs."