Being at the head of the largest anonymous reporting line covering the province of Quebec excluding the metropolis, I note that our analysts deal with very varied disclosures: human trafficking, drug networks, pimping, suspects on the run, assaults armies, thefts, vandalism, etc. We collaborate to close files with the police forces of the province while respecting the anonymity of our callers.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
We can pride ourselves on being a rather effective barometer of societal tensions. We clearly see the considerable explosion of mental health problems in all strata of the population. At an angle, the rate of recrudescence of armed crime recorded an increase of 22.2% according to the Sûreté du Québec. Did it really take a pandemic and its recurring repercussions to understand the importance of the social approach grafted onto public safety?
Obviously, the presence of traditional police forces and tactical squads to intervene urgently in unprecedented situations that require it remains vital. But the specter of intervention of the various circles affected by crime is changing like a moth breaking its chrysalis.
The appearance of the police director of the agglomeration of Longueuil, Mr. Fady Dagher, on the show The world upside down hosted by Stéphan Bureau a few weeks ago literally aroused passions. He is one of the rare actors to work differently and to rethink the system of intervention in terms of harm prevention.
Let’s be clear, everyone agrees with this direction, but mentalities are changing more slowly on the ground, and it starts with the opening of the blinkers of a population weakened by mistrust and stereotypes.
It is a major reconditioning of the police approach which tries to activate in the present.
As a citizen, do you know the Intersection network? Probably not, yet it has existed since 1993. This is another notorious example of the lack of knowledge of our networks of stakeholders focused on the community policing approach. This rallying of stakeholders helps to highlight a multitude of projects initiated by police forces throughout the province, including “Coffee with a policeman”, the “pilot” project taking place on a karting track to raise public awareness of the dangerousness of speed, as well as so many other inspiring initiatives.
In recent years, public security has gone to play in a cake with very specific tips, by adding cream to a sponge cake already rich in expertise wishing to operate in collaboration.
Admittedly, the government relies heavily on community policing, and with good reason. But there is a whole universe of complementary stakeholders upstream, and they have been firmly established for almost three decades!
Street work organizations have received financial assistance for subsidized crime prevention projects for 2021 and 2022, it’s true. In fact, this is only $141,950 for the entire territory of Montérégie and a meager total of $75,000 for all of Bas-Saint-Laurent.
Let’s not forget that six months after the fateful date of February 27, 2020, several organizations ran out of resources so quickly in the face of the scale of the pandemic challenge that it was out of spite that we saw the extinction of pillars essential to their communities. .
The involvement of a street worker is much stronger than simple random social intervention. These people are a real part of the daily lives of the people they help.
Whether it’s transport to clinical care or taking two hours to ventilate a teenage girl struggling with a pimp. They are often the first responders to claimants with psychotic disorders or seizures during an overdose. They have naloxone in their backpacks, unfailing professionalism and patience. We recognized the work of angels in the hospital setting. What about the shadow workers, our anonymous angels?
Let’s continue to demonstrate the variety of flavors that already existed under the additional whipped cream dumped by public safety.
The Ministry has provided funding for confidential reporting lines linked to police stations in major cities as well as the creation of other confidential lines such as AAA (Aide Abuse Aînés). Of course, these are honorable and necessary initiatives. But why not have granted a budget for the provincial line of completely anonymous reports whose privileged information is filtered and redirected by expert analysts who have collaborated with most provincial police forces for 25 years now?
By wanting to water the young shoots too much, the roots of the oak dry up. No one can predict the future, but now is the time to give everyone a proportional financial base by recognizing the quality of their recipe.