Life, the city | Being a police officer… on horseback

Our journalist travels around Greater Montreal to talk about people, events or places that mark urban life.

Wednesday, February 7, 4 p.m., on Mount Royal, at the stable of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

Myriam Murray Langlois guides her horse Pacific inside a trailer. The police officer and her colleague must go to Dollard-des-Ormeaux, where, the day before, a man was shot and killed^⁠1. Their role ? Secure the neighborhood, but also chat with people to possibly gather information.

“When something happens, we want to be present,” argues Myriam Murray Langlois, defeating the idea that the cavalry is where police officers go to quietly end their career before retirement.

We see police officers on horseback at neighborhood parties or on walks on the mountain. But the role of the oldest unit of the SPVM, established in 1885, goes well beyond surveillance. The cavalry can be deployed in all the districts of the island, on its own initiative or at the request of a district post.

“We listen to the radio waves,” says Myriam Murray Langlois, who recently had to intervene during a violent conflict between a son and a father who had called 911.

Horses positively attract attention and fuel the community policing approach.

During the summer period, mounted police officers monitor the exit of bars on Saint-Laurent Boulevard on Fridays and Saturdays. To get people moving around and prevent crowds that turn bad, it works! “It is estimated that one horse is the equivalent of four to six police officers on the ground. And it’s much less repressive,” notes Karine Beattie.

She and her cavalry colleagues — the vast majority of whom are women — can create corridors and security perimeters, whether to immobilize a suspect or facilitate the passage of an ambulance.

Karine Beattie will always remember an intervention carried out with Sergeant Marie-Ève ​​Dufort. “We were at a neighborhood party in Saint-Léonard. Marie-Ève ​​took off at a gallop, telling me to follow her for an emergency call concerning a baby in respiratory arrest in a pharmacy, she says. Marie-Ève ​​managed the horses and I did the maneuvers on the baby who had a pair of tights stuck in his throat… and we saved his life. »

Looking back, it was epic, agrees the policewoman.

An evolving role

It’s one thing to ride a horse on Sunday for fun, but it’s another thing to do it under high pressure, with armed gear and a bulletproof vest that weighs a dozen pounds. “You have to have the instinct of a police officer and the instinct of a rider,” summarizes Karine Beattie.

And how do animals react to the intensity of a metropolis? “Horses have always been part of urban life,” replies Marie-Ève ​​Dufort. “Our horses would be more afraid of a cow than of a recycling truck,” adds Karine Beattie.

Even fines are given without even getting off the horse!

For Marie-Ève ​​Dufort, it’s “the best job on the planet”. Even a privilege, since the only other police force in the province to have a cavalry is the Sûreté du Québec.

“The cavalry has gone through so many eras. Even in 20 years, the role of the horse in police work has evolved a lot, points out the sergeant. We are in constant development. We are the experts and it is up to us to prove ourselves and make sure commanders understand what we can do. »

Good care

One thing is certain, the horses of the SPVM cavalry are treated with care. At 22, Merlin is the oldest and is on the verge of retirement.

The SPVM cavalry stable is located on Camillien-Houde road. On weekends, young and old who stroll on Mount Royal admire the animals taking in the air in the carousel.

Four City employees — called grooms — take care of the horses and maintain the stable. After 18 years of loyal service, retirement is approaching for the man whose name predestined his profession: Bob Chevalier! “Before, I worked at Blue Bonnets,” he says.

“We are very lucky,” emphasizes her colleague Gabrielle Bissonnette, who “fell in love” with the stable on the mountain.

In addition to having a full-time trainer, the horses benefit from various treatments, such as osteopathy and acupuncture.

More called than elected

Police officers who wish to join the ranks of the cavalry must pass an interview, a physical test and a mounted test. They then find themselves on a list, then in order of seniority, they will first be assigned to occasional assignments before obtaining one of twelve positions.

Like Myriam Murray Langlois, some agents have been riding horses since childhood, while others learn it late in life.

Karine Beattie grew up in Ville-Émard dreaming of horse riding, but it was not an affordable activity for her parents. Later, however, it became a privilege that she was able to offer to her daughter. “I was in the stands watching her and I said to myself: why envy her when I could go for it? »

As soon as she obtained the required rider’s certificate (level 3), she let human resources know, then she joined the cavalry after 15 years on the patrol.

Often, after a day of work, he pinches himself and says: “Wow, I was on a horse. »

1. Read the article “A man shot and killed in Dollard-des-Ormeaux”