Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante wanted to reassure Montrealers following the killings that occurred in the past few days in the greater Montreal area. She insisted that it was an “isolated event” and that it could have happened anywhere.
At a press conference on Sunday, Ms. Plante called the events “murderous madness”.
On Tuesday evening, Abdulla Shaikh allegedly shot dead two men in Montreal a few kilometers apart in less than 65 minutes. About 24 hours later, a third man was killed in Laval.
Police shot and killed the 26-year-old suspect, Abdulla Shaikh, Thursday morning at the Motel Pierre in the borough of Saint-Laurent.
Ms. Plante said that she understood the concern that this aroused among Montrealers, but that this tragic event could have happened in any region of Quebec and that in this sense, we must not “give in to the fear “.
The mayor addressed the problem of access to weapons. “It is not acceptable that we can order parts, that we can create them ourselves with a 3D printer. Firearms must be banned and mechanisms must be added to be able to seize these weapons. »
Recently, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced that Bill C-21 had been introduced, which includes a national handgun freeze. Valérie Plante thinks this is good news, but it doesn’t go far enough. According to her, we need not just a freeze, but a ban on handguns.
Ottawa announced Thursday that the sum of $41.8 million would be granted to the Quebec government to fight against armed violence and street gangs.
Ms. Plante argues that a “significant sum” of this envelope must go to Montreal and that this should include Laval which is also experiencing an increase in armed violence.
“We need additional provincial and federal resources,” argues Ms. Plante.
She recalled that the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) is the only municipal police force in Quebec to offer a level five service, which includes in particular the management of terrorist attacks and cyberattacks. The level of service is based on the number of inhabitants present in its territory. Ms. Plante said that it is the City that assumes most of the costs associated with this requirement, justifying its request to have a large share of the envelope of $41.8 million.
Mental Health
The Mental Disorder Review Board said in March that the shooting suspect’s psychiatrist was concerned about the violence and Abdulla Shaikh’s psychiatric condition, among other things.
However, the suspect had made progress over the previous six months and agreed with his psychiatrist that he should remain free under certain conditions.
The Mayor of Montreal pointed out that health, which includes mental health, is an area of provincial jurisdiction. She said she needed the Quebec government to “help” the SPVM “move forward,” without, however, detailing her demands. She mentioned that the City had constant exchanges with the SPVM in order to improve the tools in place for the management of mental health cases in the territory.
At a press conference, she repeatedly praised the work of SPVM police officers. She indicated that there are more and more cases of psychological distress in Montreal, according to what the police observe.
Alongside Valérie Plante, the head of public security in Montreal, Martin Prud’homme, specified that the follow-up of a person struggling with mental health problems did not belong to the police.
He agreed with the mayor by saying that the SPVM “needed help” to support the police. “They are trained, but they are not mental health specialists,” he said.
Ms. Plante said she hopes public safety will be an important topic during the next provincial election campaign.