The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has 72 fewer police officers than last November, despite Mayor Valérie Plante’s promise to increase the workforce, denounces the president of the Brotherhood of Montreal police officers , Yves Francoeur.
In a letter he sent to the mayor on Monday, Yves Francoeur deplores the harmful effects of the drop in numbers on the population’s feeling of security and on the state of mind of the troops. “The announcements concerning the creation of new units have resulted in the movement of police officers, very often from the PDQ [postes de quartier]throwing unsustainable pressure on the gendarmerie, which is essential for dissuasive police visibility and the feeling of security of the population, in freefall, ”he explains in his missive.
According to SPVM records, the Brotherhood notes that in November 2021, during the municipal elections, the SPVM had 4,410 police officers. However, the data obtained by the union indicate that on August 15, the police would now number 4338, which corresponds to 72 police officers less than ten months ago.
Yves Francoeur denounces the comments of the mayor according to which the current workforce would be sufficient. In the field, he argues, the police have no choice but to work overtime, even if it is not their wish.
Hirings and departures
During the 2021 election campaign, the mayor promised to hire 250 additional police officers by the end of 2022. She then specified that this was a net addition that took retirements into account. .
But noting the downsizing, Yves Francoeur misunderstands the attitude of the administration. “What is the point of bragging about hiring if, since your re-election, these hirings are lower than the number of departures? he asks in his letter.
The union leader indicates that this is the fourth time that he has written to the administration on this question, but that the only response obtained speaks only of hirings without considering the number of departures.
In passing, he points out that in the first eight months of 2022, the SPVM received 40 resignations compared to 29 in 2019. These departures are, according to him, fueled by the “lack of concrete support” from the administration towards the police.
Questioned Monday by the leader of the opposition, Aref Salem, during the assembly of the municipal council, Valérie Plante stuck to the hirings made. “Our goal was to hire 250 police officers by the end of 2022. As of today, 229 police officers have been hired,” she said.
The mayor recalled that last June, before the commission on public security, the interim director of the SPVM, Sophie Roy, had maintained that the police force was sufficient. For his part, the head of public security on the executive committee, Alain Vaillancourt argued that the SPVM budget had been increased by $45 million in 2022.
Unconvinced, Aref Salem urged the administration to act. “There isn’t a week in Montreal where there isn’t a shooting. There is not a week where there are no dead or wounded. At some point, we will have to take the beast by the horns and meet this need, ”he said.
The SPVM was not able, on Monday, to provide details about the hiring and resignation of police officers.