Montreal ended 2023 with nearly 100 additional police officers, a recent peak in hiring, Chief Fady Dagher announced Tuesday.
The head of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) took stock of his first year at the helm of the organization.
Mr. Dagher indicated that the SPVM had made 362 hires over the last year. With the departures, the police force increased by a net of 91 police officers.
The number of armed incidents has followed an inverse curve in recent months, police said. The SPVM recorded a 26% drop in the number of incidents linked to firearms in the metropolis.
“Events may still occur, we must not rest on our laurels,” said Marc Charbonneau, head of the Specialized Services Directorate. But I think that the strategies that have been put in place […] are really bearing fruit. »
Police seized 774 firearms during the year and arrested more than 300 people in connection with this type of crime.