[Opinion] Real change will require much more from the SPVM

We would like to highlight the work of sociologist Frédéric Boisrond for his two reports which were made public this week, as reported in the pages of the To have to November 15. We salute his audacity and his straightforward criticism of abuses in racial profiling. We should also point out the openness of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and its police officers to this exercise. However, we are of the opinion that the recommendations put forward have a limited scope and that they will not lead to the necessary organizational change at the SPVM. These are more focused on individuals rather than on the organization and its practices.

Within an organization, the fight against racism and racial profiling should not just be an ambition or a project that individuals carry out, but a set of skills that must be part of practical practices. For example, one of the Boisrond reports states that “every staff member should affirm and reaffirm their commitment to anti-racist behaviour”. Once this is affirmed, how do we achieve it?

Individuals are not all at the same level of understanding when it comes to issues related to racism. Thus, a change in behavior is not achieved through a vague promise, but through the development of a set of behavioral skills, which can be evaluated and whose influence is perceptible in the performance of the organization and visible in its action on the ground.

An organization within which there is a total absence of people who could be considered racist can nevertheless give free rein to discriminatory practices. It is less the people who are the source of the problem than the culture and ways of doing things in their environment. A racist person can enter an organization, but the culture of the organization can make that person non-racist in the performance of their duties.

Priority must be given to the governance and practices of the organization. The culture of an organization is not expressed individually, but is reflected through the process of integrating new recruits, the management of human resources and in the practices related to its activities.

Thus, a change in culture requires a transversal change that affects all of an organization’s practices. In the police context, stopping is only one of the practices that can lead to racial profiling. It is for this reason that the SPVM’s Arrest Policy alone will not limit racial profiling. Similarly, even if the recommendations of the Boisrond report were fully implemented, they would not allow a change of culture within the SPVM.

Too many people mistakenly think that culture change cannot be measured. This is, in our opinion, the great weakness of the Boisrond reports. They affirm that a culture change has begun at the SPVM, but without having defined it, neither by objectives, nor by actions, nor with indicators to measure its progress. Yet, yes, change can be measured!

In short, this report should be a starting point, not an end. The police need more. Residents need more. This is the time for the SPVM to provide strong leadership to initiate change and lead the debate on the evolution of police practices. We are convinced that the actors concerned have the sincere will to do so. Let’s support them in their efforts, so that Montreal can be a city where coexistence between the police and the population is part of a relationship of trust.

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