The police must “serve the entire population, all populations,” said Fady Dagher, Thursday, the day after his selection as the next chief of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM).
He added that he wanted to lead a police service that works “in humility” and that achieves the “marriage” between repression and prevention.
“What worries me a lot is that we react to crises. But we are able to intervene before crises,” he said, adding that he wanted to create “a village spirit” in the community.
Mr. Dagher was appearing before the city council’s public safety commission, which must confirm his appointment.
Chief of police for the Longueuil agglomeration since 2017, Mr. Dagher is known for having redesigned his police department in order to give more space to relations with citizens in the work of officers.
It’s a homecoming for Mr. Dagher, who worked at the SPVM for 25 years, from 1992 to 2017. During this period, he climbed almost all the levels of the organization, from simple agent to assistant director. of Marc Parent and Philippe Pichet, passing through the head of the Saint-Michel neighborhood station. At the general staff, he piloted hot issues such as the management of mental health during police interventions, the fight against radicalization and racial profiling.
The officer was not on the radar screen of police scene watchers during this leadership contest. And for good reason: “I will not apply,” he had clearly stated at 98.5 FM, at the beginning of November, when questioned about his interest in the direction of the SPVM.
As recently as December 2021, Fady Dagher had also signed an eight-year contract renewal at SPAL which brought him around $ 300,000 per year.