(Quebec) Shocked by the proliferation of videos of violent arrests in his city, the mayor of Quebec believes “there is a problem” with one or more police officers from the SPVQ.
“Each video is unbearable, both the first and the last,” Bruno Marchand said Thursday during a press scrum.
“The police are expected to be there to protect the world, to treat them with respect. If people have not understood that, the police chief will have to remedy the situation, ”said the mayor, who seems to have raised the tone.
COURTESY PHOTO
Jean-Philippe Saint-Laurent says he was the victim of a violent arrest at the Portofino restaurant last Friday.
Three videos of muscular interventions which feature the same policeman have surfaced in the last few days. On Thursday, another video showing a violent arrest at Le District Saint-Joseph bar was also posted by The Journal of Quebec. We see a policeman who looks like the one in the other three videos.
“The strength of the evidence shows that there is certainly a problem with one or a few police officers, which ultimately harms the whole image”, dropped Bruno Marchand.
Since the weekend, images of violent interventions in Dagobert, Portofino, Grande-Allée and the District have arisen. The Quebec City Police Department (SPVQ) suspended five police officers.
The head of the SPVQ confirmed Thursday that a police officer is found in the first three videos. During a press conference very popular with the media, Denis Turcotte was unable to say whether this policeman was the one we saw violently pushing a man in the District.
“The suspension of the police this week created a shock wave at the level of the population, the media and within the police department as well,” relates the chief. These are not beautiful days. ”
“It’s not elegant”
Denis Turcotte did not want to condemn the police officers in action on Thursday in these videos. According to him, we must wait for the disciplinary investigations of the SPVQ and the external investigations of the Police Ethics Commissioner.
The chief also did not want to condemn the scene where a police officer sends snow in the face of an 18-year-old young man, while the latter is pinned to the ground.
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, THE SUN
The head of the SPVQ summoned the media on Thursday to react to the new videos of muscular interventions.
“If you are able to say he was under control on the ground, maybe that’s a point of view you have. I have to establish whether it was mastered or in the process of being mastered. I’m not there yet, but we’re working on it. ”
As for those images where we hear a policeman say to a man “do you want me to gaze you, my ostie?” “Before pushing him violently, the chef admits that” it is not elegant “.
“If there are ethical or disciplinary breaches, there will be sanctions,” he says.
Denis Turcotte had no announcement to make Thursday. He reiterates that he intends to get to the bottom of things, that the investigations will be carried out smoothly and that the SPVQ will collaborate with the Police Ethics Commissioner, who is investigating the events of Dagobert and Portofino.
He defended the work of the GRIPP unit, at the heart of the turmoil and where the five suspended police came from. “The work of this unit ensures that all of us, me, my family, your families, can walk freely in town and go to the licensed places safely,” he said of this squad that patrols the areas. bars and restaurants.
But he opened the door to “review the mandate”. “Are we still in good practice? Are we still in the original mission? And we will ensure that we put in place good practices. ”
Chief Turcotte also commented on the absence of black police officers in Quebec. “We have visible ethnic minorities. But everyone says we don’t have black people. The only black we had was in the 90s and he made the choice to go and work in the Montreal region, ”he said.
The police chief obviously wanted to speak to his approximately 850 police officers as well. “I reiterate my confidence in my troops. Our city is one of the safest cities in the world, and that’s thanks to you dear colleagues. ”
Mayor Marchand also urged the population not to put all the police in the same basket.
“There are more than 800 police officers in Quebec, so it does not take a large number to taint the work of all the police officers. This is what we see in the videos. ”
With Tommy Chouinard, Press