In response to the criticisms of the Montreal Police Brotherhood on the downsizing of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the administration of Valérie Plante affirms that the hirings planned for this year will exceed the promises made in the election campaign, which will result in a net increase in the number of police officers on the ground.
On Monday, in a letter addressed to Mayor Plante, the president of the Fraternity, Yves Francoeur, denounced the drop in staff between November 2021 and August 15. According to union data held by the Brotherhood, the number of police officers fell from 4,410 to 4,338 during this period, a drop of 72 police officers.
In a statement released Tuesday morning, the administration now says that the hiring target of 250 police officers promised by Mayor Plante during the election campaign will be exceeded by the end of the year and will reach 282 officers. At this time, however, the City is unable to forecast retirements and resignations. “Although the total assessment cannot be made until the end of the year, SPVM projections indicate that by the end of 2022, the net number of police officers within its teams will have increased compared to to November 2021”, indicates the City in its press release.
The Plante administration also points out that Montreal is the Canadian city with the largest number of police officers per capita.
In an interview Tuesday morning on the Paul Arcand program, on the airwaves of 98.5, Yves Francoeur questioned the data published by the Plante administration. According to him, resignations have multiplied since the beginning of the year. Of the 20 young recruits who were to be hired in September, 16 of them would have withdrawn, he said. “The City’s figures do not hold water,” argued the union leader. According to him, the morale of the troops is particularly affected by the compulsory overtime.
Remember that the collective agreement for Montreal police officers expired on December 31.