Tons of detective series show explosive situations where agents try to put the pieces of the puzzle back together after an assault or a murder. Forward-thinking fontpresented from Thursday on ICI RDI, does the opposite: it goes behind the scenes of the Longueuil agglomeration police department to tell the story of the establishment of a brigade focused on psychosocial networking and prevention.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
Putting out fires is the daily routine of many police officers in Longueuil and no doubt elsewhere. More than three quarters of the calls to 911 in this municipality relate to cases of mental health and human distress: people intoxicated on the public highway, suicidal crises, disputes with family or between neighbors… Cases that are more “social” than criminal.
“Often, people tell me: Fady, these are not social workers, your police officers. I understand. But if 80% of calls are social, what do I do? asks Fady Dagher, director of the Longueuil agglomeration police department (SPAL), to the camera of Amélie Dussault, director of Forward-thinking font.
PHOTO ERIC MYRE, PROVIDED BY ICI RDI
Fady Dagher, director of the Longueuil agglomeration police department
It is not yesterday that he thinks about a “different” font. As a young patroller, he went to play soccer with the young people of Saint-Laurent, the sector where he was assigned. Detail that is not insignificant: he went there in uniform. “It made a difference,” he recalls. A little later, in Montreal North, he saw the positive impact of officers who know their community well.
Build relationships
This link is at the heart of the ongoing transformation at SPAL, which the series Forward-thinking font watch while being at the heart of the action: for months, director Amélie Dussault and her team had exceptional behind-the-scenes access to the development of the RÉSO (Social and Organizational Mutual Aid Network) squad, whose objective is to put officers in the field who forge links with the community to act “before things break” and allow other patrol officers to focus on crime and violence.
The speakers often say it in the series: if you want different results, you have to do things differently.
Director Amélie Dussault
What she shows in Forward-thinking fontthat’s something different.
Basically, the “RESO police officers” are officers who circulate on foot or by bicycle assigned to the sectors most often linked to crisis calls. Their job: to be in contact with vulnerable populations who can even call them directly – their professional telephone number is broadcast – rather than calling 911.
A clash of ideas
This “change of culture” does not come without problems. One of the great qualities of Amélie Dussault’s series is that it shows not only the sincere questioning of the agents’ ways of doing things, but also the resistance within the SPAL itself. Only 56% of its union members voted in favor of this approach a year ago. There is no unanimity and no one has the language of wood.
“It calls into question current ways of doing things and it will shock, thinks Gino Iannone, inspector at SPAL. Is it the role of the police or not? It will raise questions. The clash of ideas can be seen on screen. As we see the good will of the police officers – even the most skeptical ones – to fulfill the mission for which they are committed: to help and protect their fellow citizens.
Forward-thinking font don’t look at reality with rose-colored glasses.
I think the police, in 2022, no longer have the choice to try new approaches. The RÉSO police officers have been deployed for almost a year. Time will tell if this is the best approach.
Director Amélie Dussault
“I don’t think RESO is the answer to everything,” agrees Fady Dagher. It takes all kinds of police for all kinds of interventions. He points out, however, that the first results of the RÉSO squad are promising.
Without making the policeman a street worker, he speaks of him as a “social actor” in his community. This role, the aspiring police officers who wish to work in Longueuil will have to adopt it. “If you don’t want to do social policing, don’t apply here,” he said, thinking of future police officers. Those who get involved, get involved with this mandate. »
Forward-thinking font will be broadcast Thursday, 8 p.m., on ICI RDI