Montreal police said Friday that they are currently “analyzing” a video of an intervention posted on social networks, where we can see a patroller violently jostling a homeless person.
Posted at 3:55 p.m.
Updated at 4:56 p.m.
In said video, which was originally broadcast on Tiktok and which had already been seen by more than 50,000 people on Friday, we see two Montreal police officers arresting a homeless man, who had settled in an alley in the metropolis.
During the sequence that was broadcast, which lasts about fifteen seconds, one of the two officers forcefully pushes the individual, who ends his race against a concrete block. His shoulder and his head then seem to suffer the blow. The policeman then seized the man on the ground, before pushing him a little further to summon him to leave the premises. The homeless man then walks away from the two police officers.
“You can always count on the Montreal police to treat the homeless as humans,” quips user Cornyturd, who first shared the video on his personal account, but was then relayed by several other Internet users.
On its Twitter account, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) remained cautious on Friday afternoon, simply indicating that it was “aware of a video circulating on social media, relating to an intervention policewoman “.
“In order to shed light on the situation, the video is currently being analyzed to find out the detailed circumstances surrounding the event,” details the police force. The latter then announced after a preliminary analysis of the facts “the holding of an investigation into this event” which will be entrusted to the Department of Integrity and Professional Standards.
In a statement sent to The Press, the head of public security on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Alain Vaillancourt, said he was “completely shocked by these images”. “An investigation has been commissioned by the SPVM to shed light on this situation as quickly as possible, and I welcome this decision. These actions are simply unacceptable,” he said.
Mr. Vaillancourt affirms that “at a time when our police officers are working tirelessly to preserve the safety of Montrealers, this type of intervention casts a shadow over the excellent work that is done by our police officers”.