Long roadmap, leadership, dedication: Valérie Plante on Wednesday praised the qualities of the new interim director of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Sophie Roy, who will become the first woman to lead the Montreal police force.
Posted at 10:48 a.m.
“Mme Roy is the perfect person to take over this interim, given his long experience. Within the SPVM for 34 years, his leadership has been praised by all the players in the field. Of course, I welcome her and we will have the opportunity, she and I, to meet the people of Montreal in the coming days,” said the mayor during a meeting of the executive committee on Wednesday.
She confirms having recommended to the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) to appoint Sophie Roy in the interim. According to our information, however, it will only be in a few weeks that the Council of Ministers will officially give the green light, which would however only be a formality in the context, because chef Sylvain Caron will remain in office at least until April 22.
Valérie Plante says that leading the Montreal police is “all a responsibility” and “all a hat”, the metropolis having the largest police force in Quebec and the second largest in Canada. The SPVM is also the only level 5 police force in Quebec, involving certain unique responsibilities.
The elected official is convinced that Sophie Roy, “from the height of her experience and her enormous contribution within the SPVM, will be able to wear this hat brilliantly”. “And of course, our administration will be there to support it in the coming weeks, the coming months, in the face of the challenges that are very present,” insisted the mayor, reiterating that the City “is on all fronts” to fight against the increase in armed violence on the island of Montreal. “We won’t give up,” she said.
A “significant victory”
Currently deputy director of criminal investigations of the Montreal police, Sophie Roy puts a cross on the permanent succession of Sylvain Caron by ensuring his interim. According to sources, the position would not interest him in the longer term.
At the end of the speech, the mayor welcomed the fact that the main interested party will become “the first woman appointed to head the SPVM”. “The first ones must be named. It matters because every win matters in terms of representation, fairness, and symbolism,” she said.
Several people remain in the running for the longer-term succession of Mr. Caron. Among them, we find Marc Charbonneau, the assistant director of the Integrity and Professional Standards Department, Anne Chamandy, the assistant director of communications who notably piloted the Green Book file, and Vincent Richer, the current assistant director and responsible for social and prevention files. Among other things, he is behind the forum against armed violence and the policy on police arrests.