A Canadian group of police officers believes that the many police officers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty in recent months in Canada have been victims of avoidable tragedies linked to repeat offenses favored by the courts.
The National Police Federation (FPN) reacted Wednesday to the death that occurred Monday evening in Louiseville, Mauricie, of Sergeant Maureen Breau, of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). The policewoman, who had more than 20 years of experience, lost her life after being attacked by a 35-year-old man whom she had come to arrest.
Another police officer was injured during this police operation.
Federation President and CEO Brian Sauvé says such incidents are physically dangerous for police officers, but also have a significant impact on their morale and the well-being of their families.
Brian Sauvé adds that repeat violent offenders become more complacent and disrespectful of the police and the justice system in general and are dangerous to the community.
The Federation recalls that in 2022 in Canada, five police officers were killed by people known to the police who had, in several cases, been recently released on bail. More recently, two Edmonton police officers were also murdered in the line of duty.
The organization says Canadian police officers are also injured, often intentionally, while serving their communities.
In particular, the Federation calls on all governments in Canada to take measures to mitigate the increase in the number of repeat offenders. The federal and provincial justice systems therefore need to put more resources into bolstering bail and parole reform, he said.
According to several sources, the man who attacked Sergeant Breau before being himself killed by police officers in Louiseville had been found not criminally responsible a few times in the past for violent crimes before obtaining conditional discharges.