The second forum on armed violence in the metropolis will finally be held this fall, the Montreal police first wanting to take the time to “collect all the evidence” essential to holding this event.
This is what the deputy director of the SPVM, Vincent Richer, revealed on Tuesday on the sidelines of a municipal commission. This second edition of the Montreal Forum on Armed Violence was originally scheduled to take place this spring, but will finally “take place this fall”, he said.
“After analysis, we found that it was a bit early to have all the conclusive data related to the actions implemented,” said Mr. Richer. The Multidisciplinary Intervention Team in Schools (ÉMIE), set up in December 2022, is “in the process of creating a good network with the school community” and young people, says Mr. Richer. “There is a whole aspect of prevention and awareness, so it takes a little longer to get results,” he explained.
A first forum of its kind was held last winter, in the company of elected officials from different levels of government and various organizations. The activity concluded with an additional investment of seven million to fight against armed violence, a sum shared between Quebec and Montreal.
This is the second report on two occasions for this forum. Last year, the first edition was also postponed by a month due to the pandemic. At this time, her outfit was mentioned shortly after three teenagers, Myriam Boundaoui, Jannai Dopwell-Bailey and Thomas Trudel, were killed with knives or firearms, sending shock waves through the metropolis.
Still blurry on body cameras
In addition, the head of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, remained cautious on Tuesday when asked about his vision regarding the installation of body cameras on his patrollers, a project still under discussion.
“The desire, both for the department and the SPVM, is to have them. But at the level of justice, the apparatus must be ready to receive them in order to process them. We hope to have them in 2025, but we are really dependent on several authorities, ”he replied.
In opposition, Councilor Abdelhaq Sari asks the authorities to speed up the pace in the file of portable cameras. “The cost of not having them, we are already feeling it on the ground. The relationship of young and old is deteriorating with the police in terms of trust. It is a tool among many others, but is due to move forward with concrete solutions, ”he said.
Mr. Sari also denounces that the summit on armed violence has been postponed again, while the police already have several “proof data” on the phenomenon. “We had to quickly have this forum in the spring and then make decisions on the summer plan. It was very important,” he explained.