The overtime that swells the budget of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) each year is inevitable and is partly attributable to the high rate of absenteeism among police officers, according to the acting director of the police force, Sophie Roy. . Before the Finance Commission on Tuesday, it indicated that in 2022, between 20 and 30% of Montreal police officers had to be absent due to illness or injury.
In 2022, overtime costs peaked at $61 million, resulting in a $48.5 million deficit in the SPVM budget.
“Overtime is an integral part of the police reality,” said Ms.me Roy during the study of the SPVM budget before the Finance Committee on Tuesday. “Because of the nature of the work and the tasks, there are certain things that you will never be able to predict. One only has to think of some major events in terms of investigations and demonstrations”.
But beyond these hazards, the SPVM is struggling with a high rate of absenteeism caused by illness – including COVID-19 – and injuries. In 2021, in the midst of a pandemic, this rate had reached 20%. It hovered around 20-30% per unit in 2022, Ms.me Roy.
Added to this are the vacancies, which numbered 250 to 300 in 2022. “It has a direct impact on overtime because from the moment we have a high rate of absenteeism […], the police are brought back on duty and some have to be paid 150% and sometimes 200%. »
The SPVM will hire 270 additional police officers in 2023 and Sophie Roy believes that these additional staff should reduce the need for overtime next year. As of December 31, 2022, the police force will be 4,521, she said.
Call answer time
The response time to emergency calls also increased in 2022 to reach an average of 6 minutes 11 seconds compared to 5 minutes 35 seconds in 2016. Asked about this, Sophie Roy replied that in Toronto, the average response time to priority 1 calls has been 15 to 20 minutes in the past five years, compared to the target of 6 minutes. In Vancouver, the average response time is 10 minutes. “We still have a situation that is quite enviable in the city of Montreal compared to other police forces in large cities,” she said. “We are not worried. »
The acting director also noted that road works could lengthen the response time. However, she indicated that the SPVM planned to review the distribution of calls based on the proximity of vehicles and not based on the territory served by each neighborhood station. “We hope that with this geolocation, we will be able to reduce our response times. »
Sophie Roy did not grant interviews to the media following her presentation. The head of public security on the executive committee, Alain Vaillancourt, expressed concern about the high rate of absenteeism among police officers. He maintained that the City and the SPVM intended to seek solutions to remedy this. The elected official believes, however, that the hiring of additional police officers next year will have the effect of reducing the additional time required.
A new director
In 2023, the SPVM’s budget will reach $787.1 million, an increase of $63.2 million over the previous year, which will make it possible, in particular, to hire 123 police officers to deal with the rise in violence. army in the metropolis. The city is also planning an investment of $16.5 million in its Ten-Year Capital Assets Plan for the acquisition and use of body cameras for SPVM patrollers, the implementation date of which has not yet been announced. known.
The SPVM should start next year with a new director at its head with the appointment of Fady Dagher. He will take office when the Council of Ministers in Quebec has ratified his appointment, which should be done next January.
According to the City’s decision documents, Mr. Dagher will benefit from a seven-year contract and will receive an annual base salary of $261,347 which will be indexed starting in 2023. He will also receive a 5% bonus applicable to his salary. basic.