Police officers in the metro will abandon emergency calls to better target crime issues: the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) is changing its approach in the transportation network to ensure the safety of users and reinforce the feeling of security.
Patrol officers from the Métro section will no longer carry out regular surveillance and will instead focus on issues specifically related to crime, as announced The Press last month. They will be able, for example, to better target drug trafficking issues in the metro.
Answering calls in the metro will now be shared between 16 neighborhood stations located near metro stations. This should reduce the response time for operations, according to the commander of the Montreal metro section at the SPVM, Joanne Matte.
“Since the pandemic, we have seen an increase in issues related to consumption and mental health disorders,” she said.
Officers will therefore be able to devote themselves to more targeted operations aimed at reducing crime in the public transportation network.
The rate of absenteeism in the Metro Section which could cause additional work for the Montreal police was mentioned. “We want to fill positions as quickly as possible to avoid additional time,” assures Commander Matte.
This restructuring leaves the official opposition of the City of Montreal skeptical. “What worries us most is that the police response times to emergency calls now sent to neighborhood stations rather than directly to staff in the metro network have not been disclosed,” responded by email Abdelhaq Sari, official opposition spokesperson for public security.