SPVM | Significant challenges ahead of new director Sophie Roy

Fight against armed violence, greater place for diversity, promotion of police work, exit from the pandemic; the new interim director of the Montreal police, Sophie Roy, will face many challenges in the coming months. The first woman to hold this position, she intends to make a “healthy transition” for her succession, which will arrive this fall.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“I am very grateful to be able to have this experience. And to be the first woman, it fills me with pride. It is also very significant for all my colleagues. It shows that the SPVM is open to everyone’s dreams, ”says the main person concerned, in an interview with The Press.

She intends to prioritize “a culture of collaboration” within the police force, where she has more than 34 years of experience, having notably been assistant director of criminal investigations. “Public safety, we have to share this responsibility. And that’s how we build bridges, by getting to know each other, to understand each other, to discuss, to demystify our collective responsibilities,” she says.

This project will be all the more essential in the context of the increase in armed violence, judge Sophie Roy. “The tip of the iceberg is the shot, but you also have to see what underlies it. It could go back several years for several suspects. It’s at the social level that we have to ask ourselves what we can do to fight emerging crime, for example,” says the experienced woman.

“There is not a police officer who does not feel concerned by the increase in violence”, adds M^me Roy, for whom “the priority” is to tackle the circulation of firearms in the metropolis. “Obviously, we cannot work on this issue alone. That’s why we participate in provincial teams like [l’opération] Centaur. And we will continue, ”she swears.

The new director believes in it: it is quite possible to reduce the number of shootings in Montreal. “Obviously, investigations are long and complex. Coming from surveys, I was able to see this. But you have to give it time. And our work is bearing fruit,” she says.

More links, more trust

In two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected vulnerable communities and a good part of the population, continues Sophie Roy. “The whole network has been less accessible. Our police officers, too, had to adapt. It was extremely demanding. And they too have experienced the pandemic, with an isolation factor. It added extra pressure. »

Like her predecessor Sylvain Caron, who retired in April, she recognizes that the “Montreal reality” can sometimes be difficult for a patroller.

“Social pressure, social media, people’s perception or extremely quick popular judgment, it’s an issue. Personally, I think that we have to give the process a chance, avoid over-hasty judgement, and value the work of the police. They carry out thousands of interventions in a professional manner with vulnerable clienteles. They see things that the citizen does not see on a daily basis, ”says M^me Roy.

However, she admits that many bridges still have to be built to restore the confidence of the entire population in the police system. “When I arrived in post-crisis Montreal, as unit head at PDQ39, we had to rebuild these bridges both externally and internally. And it works every day. It’s a constant fight, ”she illustrates.

In the interim, but “well sealed”

The selection process for the next head of the SPVM was launched in March, with a public posting. This spring, a selection committee will make a choice among all the candidates, who can apply from anywhere in Quebec and Canada. This decision will have to be ratified by the city’s executive committee and the Quebec government. The identity of this person will be known by this fall.

Sophie Roy has already indicated that she will not appear. Until then, however, it wants to be “well sealed”. “I don’t see my mandate as a mandate of a few months. The interim, yes it’s a title, but I have to be well sealed, that I encourage and that I support my staff. We will persevere, we will continue, ”she says.

As for her collaboration with Mayor Valérie Plante – who has already had tensions with Sylvain Caron in the past – the new interim director is not worried too much. “I have always favored good relations, because it serves public safety. I have no stakes in future relationships,” she concludes. In his eyes, the recent appointment of the former big boss of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) Martin Prud’homme, as deputy director general of the City, announces an “excellent collaboration”.