” Who will be the next one ? Police officers denounce the lack of control surrounding people struggling with mental health problems who have a high level of dangerousness. A symposium was held on Wednesday under the sign of emotion, after the death of Sergeant Maureen Breau, Monday in Louiseville.
“Events like that, we feel the impact for everyone. Now, the police will ask themselves a question every day: who will be next? », launches the president of the Association of provincial police officers of Quebec (APPQ), Jacques Painchaud, in an interview with The Presson the sidelines of 15e Colloquium of the Circle of Police Defense Representatives (CRDP) in Brossard.
He maintains that police officers sometimes have difficulty “explaining how” certain people with a “high level of dangerousness” regularly find themselves at large “with so little control, and so little follow-up”. “We need to feel that the health services, the CIUSSS and the authorities are there to make a correct link with the person, who is often not criminalized,” continues Mr. Painchaud.
According to preliminary data from the Research Project on Post-Trauma Interventions in Police Organizations (RIPTOP), unveiled at the symposium on Wednesday, approximately 75% of police officers face traumatic events in their work. In 2017, this figure was around 50%.
Mr. Painchaud points out that most police interventions with people struggling with mental health problems go well. “We don’t hear about it, but for the police, the anxiety and the stress accumulate. When a situation like the one we are experiencing happens, we sort of take stock. And we say to ourselves that we could all have experienced the same thing, ”continues the union leader.
Several “shortcomings” surrounding the work of the police remain, according to him, in this type of situation. “How is it, for example, that not enough people are trained for these situations? The regional reality also means that the backup is often not fast or sometimes non-existent. These are elements that need to be discussed, ”he pleads.
Say goodbye to “working in silos”
At the Federation of Municipal Police Officers of Quebec (FPMQ), President François Lemay agrees. “Mental health was already exploding in 2019. The pandemic just exacerbated the situation, but we haven’t seen much change since. We have to stop working in silos when it comes to mental health. I have been saying it for three years, ”he insists.
“It happens that our police officers return three times the same individual to the emergency room,” also insists Mr. Lemay, who affirms that the political community must also respond to the phenomenon, and find solutions to increase the safety of the police officers.
For him, the phenomenon should be worrying for everyone. “It also comes down to saying that we have to take care of the citizens. Everyone, they don’t necessarily feel safe when you release someone who has mental health issues without any real follow-up, and send them back with their neighbours. »
Also at the scene on Wednesday, Canadian Police Association (CPA) President Tom Stamatakis spoke of a “difficult year” for police officers across the country, with eight of them killed in connection with their work. “It’s something very exceptional, which we are not used to. We must do everything to prevent this from becoming the norm in Canada. There is a lot of work,” he said.
Tuesday, The Press reported that the man suspected of having killed the Sergeant of the Sûreté du Québec Maureen Breau during a trivial operation, Monday evening in Louiseville in Mauricie, had a criminal history and mental health and represented “a significant risk” for the public safety, which did not prevent him from being released under severe conditions.
Isaac Brouillard Lessard, 35, has been the subject of five not guilty verdicts on account of mental disorder since 2014 for assault with a weapon and death threats, among other things, against members of the medical staff responsible for his treatment.