Although she welcomes government assistance to hire more police officers in Montreal, Mayor Valérie Plante believes that the public security crisis will only be resolved with various measures.
• Read also: Armed violence: the SPVM will increase the pressure on criminal groups
• Read also: Firearms: the police are still driving traffic in Montreal
• Read also: Hundreds of new police officers in Montreal to counter armed violence
“The quick, simple solution does not exist, because it is complex. But we are dedicated to finding solutions, which will last over time, and which will also influence, I hope, other models and other cities to make the right choices, ”she said. explained, Wednesday morning, during a meeting of its executive committee.
As a reminder, on Saturday, the government announced an investment of $250 million over five years to strengthen the police presence in Montreal. The plan presented included the hiring of 450 additional police officers to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
An objective which would however be unattainable according to our Bureau of Investigation, which looked into the question. This, in particular because of the many retirements planned at the SPVM and the difficult conditions in Montreal which put off new graduates.
For the past year, shootings have multiplied in the metropolis. In its annual report for the year 2021, the SPVM recorded 144 discharges of firearms. A situation that does not seem to have diminished this year. Last week, two murders committed in broad daylight in public places, about thirty minutes apart, shook the city.
“For our administration, fighting against the increase in armed crimes requires a multitude of tools. It goes through an intelligent, benevolent, pragmatic approach, which touches on different aspects, ”said Ms. Plante, who also wishes to tackle the “systemic” causes of violence.
To this end, she gave the example of the importance of housing and of having welcoming living environments as well as infrastructures for all.
“A mobilized and motivated population that makes the right choices and does not turn to crime is a population that has opportunities. We must ensure that our citizens start from the same starting line, ”she argued.
Ms. Plante was also pleased that the government had allocated funds for the mobile mediation and social intervention team (ÉMMIS) in its envelope. This is a pilot project set up in 2021 in the borough of Ville-Marie, in which civilian psychosocial workers can intervene in situations of psychological distress.
“It helps police officers who have been trained, and for whom we want them to run after bad guys with guns, to be able to do this job and take the pressure off them to respond to certain calls that require more psychosocial intervention,” explained the mayor.