“Montreal is not going to become the playground of criminals”, assures the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, the day after two shootings carried out in broad daylight, violence which caused another “shock wave” among the population. .
“It’s no,” she hammered.
The “sense of security” of citizens was affected by these two violent events which occurred 30 minutes apart, she agrees, while reiterating that Montreal remains a safe city.
The SPVM is not going to give up, added Sophie Roy, the acting director of the SPVM, in a press briefing on Wednesday alongside the mayor.
A lot of work is done behind the scenes to prevent and combat this armed violence, and while some results will be visible quickly, others will take time, explained Ms. Plante.
“We are going through a troubled period, yes, but we have to work together and not be divided. »
To achieve this, she spoke of hiring staff, in particular to increase the number of police officers in neighborhood stations – although it is difficult to recruit, she acknowledged – as well as prevention, adding social workers in the field. She also wants the population to support the police.
Ms. Plante has spoken with Premier François Legault and Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbeault since the two men were shot dead, one at the Rockland Shopping Center in Town of Mount-Royal and the other in a pizzeria in the rue Saint-Denis.
Saying she was “tired” of receiving money “per piece”, when she needed additional resources for this fight, she was satisfied with the reaction of François Legault: “I felt a real will from the first minister to support his metropolis”.
The latter also confirmed this impression with a message published on his Twitter account: “We will not skimp on the means to restore order and protect citizens. We will support our police forces to put an end to this violence. »
Ms. Plante said announcements are forthcoming, but declined to give details as they would not yet be finalized.
Earlier this week, the Police Brotherhood denounced the drop in staffing within the SPVM, which gave rise to a war of numbers with the Plante administration, which assured that hiring will exceed the promises made in the election campaign. Asked about this on Wednesday, the acting director of the SPVM indicated that she would not say no to a greater number of police officers, while stressing that the fight against armed violence also involves prevention.
To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mayor Plante called for more action at the border to prevent guns from crossing and reiterated that she wants a full ban — not just a freeze — on handguns.
In a message on Twitter, the latter promised “his collaboration” – without detailing what he has in mind.