Following an “intimidation campaign” by criminal groups against the Inuit community of Montreal, officers from the Nunavik Police Service (SPN) will join the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) to patrol places frequented by the Inuit community of the metropolis for the next two weeks.
The “ultimate goal” of this pilot project is to create a sense of security in the community so that Inuit people will denounce the members and actions of criminal groups, said SPVM Chief Inspector Mohamed Bouhdid, during a press conference Monday afternoon at his police force headquarters.
Members of these groups “intimidate, threaten and attack” the Inuit population of Montreal so “that they remain silent and do not identify them,” explained Jean-Pierre Larose, director and chief of the SPN. The identity of the criminal groups cannot be revealed since the investigation is ongoing.
This campaign of intimidation comes after the search and seizure of illegal narcotics by the SPN, which “destabilized these criminals, who have responded so far in Montreal,” says Mr. Larose. “It worries us a lot,” he adds.
The director and chief of the SPN also maintains that criminal groups recruit Inuit who are passing through Montreal, for medical care, vacations or studies, in order to use them as mules to transport contraband alcohol and drugs — mainly crack — between the metropolis and the 14 Inuit villages of Nunavik, where the products are consumed.
“Unfortunately, in the Inuit community, victims or witnesses of situations that compromise their safety or that of others do not tend to report these acts or file a complaint with the police,” says Jean-Pierre Larose. This is why, for the police officer, “it is essential for us to meet with the members of this community and strengthen the bond of trust with them in order to reassure them and encourage them to report.”
Drug use has had “a big impact on the Inuit community, on families and especially children,” said Hilda Snowball, president of the Kativik regional administration, who was present at the press conference.
A “first step”
As to whether the two-week period is sufficient to create a bond of trust with the Inuit community, Jean-Pierre Larose admits that “it’s frankly not enough,” but that it is “a first step” that will allow “us to show the Inuit population that we are there.”
Mr. Larose also notes that the possibility of “restarting” an operation of this type “is not ruled out.” “We want to create an impact of two intensive weeks. We will then see the results of what it will give.”
The SPVM is also “open” to the possibility of sending some of their police officers to Nunavik, says Chief Inspector Mohamed Bouhdid. “We see the added value of seeking out the expertise of Nunavik police officers and of working with the community, because we know that we have a strong representation of the community in Montreal. We see it as a positive thing to participate and bring this knowledge back here to Montreal.”