The Brotherhood of Montreal Policemen and Women (FPM) believes that the next police chief should come from the ranks of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), and warns that he will face significant challenges over the course of of his mandate.
Posted yesterday at 4:19 p.m.
“The Fraternity considers it appropriate to bet on a candidate who knows the SPVM from the inside. This time, the Service has enough people ready and competent to find the next director or the next director, and considering the magnitude of the challenges, this person will not have the easy part “, writes the president of the Fraternity, Yves Francœur, in a letter addressed to its members on Monday, of which The Press got a copy.
Mr. Francœur goes on to hope that the future leader will show “remarkable good faith”.
The former chief of police, Sylvain Caron, retired on April 11. It is Sophie Roy who replaces him on an interim basis. The City of Montreal will soon begin its selection process, which will be the subject of a public consultation.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
Sophie Roy
In his missive, the president of the police union also outlines three problems that must be tackled quickly: underfunding, lack of staff and disengagement.
The police “are tired of hearing elected officials declare themselves disturbed at the slightest clip out of context of ten seconds rolling in the media”, which plays on the morale of the troops, and maintains prejudices against them, deplores Yves Francœur.
Pressures for bulletproof jackets
He also denounces the underfunding and understaffing within the police department which, he says, leads to compulsory overtime, which subsequently causes work stoppages and mental health problems.
“Recently, the Brotherhood had to push for bulletproof vests that meet contemporary standards and fit the female physiognomy,” he reveals. We are not talking here about whims, but about basic equipment on which your life can depend, and despite this, we had to intervene to grant resources. »
More speakers
Mr. Francœur points out that police officers increasingly have to intervene for disorders caused by people suffering from mental health problems, which then become public safety problems.
“The pandemic has accentuated the phenomenon and the police will take all the help given to them. From the speakers, we too want more,” writes the president of the Fraternity.
However, he warns that the police should not be defunded to fund community organizations.
“Yes, we need to better fund the community, no, the community can never replace the police,” he notes.