The police made their presence felt this weekend in Greater Montreal after the murder of an entrepreneur linked to organized crime in a family restaurant in Laval on Wednesday. The Sûreté du Québec, in collaboration with municipal police forces, sent officers to visit many restaurants and bars in the region from Thursday to Saturday. The Press accompanied them to Laval on Friday evening.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
These patrols are part of the Ministry of Public Security’s Operation Centaur to combat armed violence.
“It’s a lot to put a presence, both to secure people and to show organized crime that we are present and that we do not want it to happen again, like this week in Laval”, says Catherine Bernard, door -word of the SQ, referring to the murder of Bernard Cherfan at the restaurant La Perle Vietnamienne.
These operations are very useful, adds a police officer from the Service de police de Laval (SPL). They make it possible to “see where the bandits are standing” and to develop links with restaurateurs. He would like to see more collaboration of the kind between the police forces, which makes it possible to act beyond the municipal perimeter to counter organized crime.
Mixed reception
When we arrived at Carrefour Laval, the team of officers we met, made up of about fifteen police officers from the SQ, the SPL and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, came out of a sports pub. They have already visited a dozen establishments, here at Carrefour Laval and Centropolis in particular, and are now heading to The Keg Steakhouse.
“Me, I have no problem with that”, says Pierre-Alexandre Themens, manager of the Keg. “We are in great contact with them, we know that we are still in a hot spot in Laval […]. If they feel the need to come here, we will welcome them with open arms” even if “for some guests it can be a little more disturbing as an experience”, he notes.
Mr. Themens is also thinking of Wednesday’s homicide at La Perle. “We would like that not to happen in our restaurant. »
At Lucille’s, manager Massimo Maggiore is a bit more annoyed. This kind of operation, “it often happens […] once a week or every two weeks,” he says, but “usually there are four or six,” whereas today a dozen officers came in at the same time. “It’s a lot” and “it’s intimidating” for the families present, says the manager of the crowded establishment.
Marisa and Stephano, two patrons who smoke outside Lucille’s, agree. “There are families who eat here, children, I don’t think they needed to be so numerous,” says the young woman. She confides that her parents go to La Perle every weekend, but that they are not afraid “at all”. “It happens to people who are part of this world,” explains Stephano. “If you’re not in this world, you’re okay,” he says.
Roberto, another client, is less critical. He describes his interaction with the police as “warm”. “They explained to us why they do this, and they explained to us what is happening in the world today with the guns,” he says.
The next establishment targeted is a restaurant where there was a suspicious fire a few years ago. This visit promises to be more delicate – we ask The Press to stay behind.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the police parked their vehicles in a nearby parking lot before passing through a hedge to reach the targeted establishment. They are 13 to enter.
The manager, visibly irritated by this visit, quickly defends himself from paying his taxes and accounts. After tense interactions, the team of agents leaves the scene.