“The time has come for me to take care of myself, my relatives and my friends,” explained the director of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, Sylvain Caron, who confirmed on Tuesday morning his intention to leave office. He will retire on April 22.
This is a “maturely considered” decision, argued Mr. Caron during a press conference with Mayor Valérie Plante. He also warned the city’s director general, Serge Lamontagne, of his intentions last December.
“I leave with the feeling of accomplishment,” said Mr. Caron, with emotion in his voice.
Appointed head of the SPVM in December 2018 to succeed Martin Prud’homme, Sylvain Caron had a five-year mandate which was to end at the end of 2023.
Sylvain Caron believes that his mandate has been difficult, marked by the pandemic and by an increase in shootings in the metropolis and several events including the arrest of Mamadi III Fara Camara, wrongly accused of having savagely attacked a police officer in January 2021.
Sylvain Caron maintains that he had no disagreements with the Plante administration that could have justified his departure, although there may have been communication problems. “There is never a good time to quit. It is the accumulation of 40 years of service that made me decide to take care of my loved ones and my family. »
The Plante administration will shortly launch a recruitment process to find a successor to Mr. Caron.
Further details will follow.
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