Fady Dagher intends to favor a more inclusive police service, capable of finding a balance between repression and prevention. Before the Commission de la sécurité publique on Thursday, the future director of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) presented the approach he intended to put forward in his mandate.
In 2022, the population is less homogeneous than in the 1980s and 1990s, he said from the outset. The SPVM must therefore serve “the entire population and all populations”, taking into account citizens on the way of marginalization and those of immigrant origin.
But the SPVM must also be able to work with partners. “A police service that works in humility, in modesty, on an equal footing with partners, community groups and institutions,” he said. “I say it often, 70% to 80% of our calls are related to mental health and social aspects. It is not true that our police officers are better placed than our partners to respond to them. It takes consultation. »
Fady Dagher emphasized the need to build bridges with the population. But to do this, it is necessary to find “proactive solutions” upstream, before the crises. According to him, we must ensure a balance between repression and prevention.
Last year, Mr. Dagher set up the RESO (Social and Organizational Mutual Aid Network) project in Longueuil. This program aims to bring police officers closer to the reality experienced by certain more vulnerable clienteles. Could this program be implemented in Montreal? “I don’t know,” he replied. “We must not fall into the trap of copying and pasting. Rather, it is necessary to assess the particularities sector by sector.
The challenges ahead
The SPVM is struggling with recruitment difficulties, but Fady Dagher maintains that to attract and keep police officers, you have to be frank and transparent when hiring. “I think it’s extremely important to have a moral contract from day one,” he said.
The issue of profiling should also be closely examined. “I’ve been thinking about this problem for years. I even publicly admitted that I had done racial profiling,” he explained. “I did it completely unconsciously. I didn’t even realize it until I became a victim myself. There, I understood. That’s why, in my opinion, the vast majority of police officers who do it are not even aware that they are doing it. It’s very insidious. We must open discussions, difficult discussions. »
Aware of the budgetary stakes which can limit the room for maneuver of the SPVM, Fady Dagher warned that it was necessary to avoid cutting in the training of the police officers. He has also promised to devote the first 100 days of his mandate to going to meet his troops on the ground if his appointment is confirmed.
On Wednesday, the selection committee set up by the City of Montreal unanimously agreed to recommend the candidacy of Fady Dagher for the position of director of the SPVM. Director of the Longueuil Agglomeration Police Service (SPAL) since 2017, Fady Dagher had previously worked for 25 years with the SPVM, notably as deputy director.
His appointment as head of the SPVM will have to be ratified by the city council and the agglomeration council and receive the approval of the Quebec government, which should materialize in January.
Further details will follow.