The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) postpones “to a later date” a forum on armed violence that was to take place at the end of the month, in the wake of the “meteoric” rise in COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron variant.
This event, which was initially scheduled to take place on January 26 and 27, aims to bring together stakeholders from community and institutional circles to discuss, alongside the SPVM, solutions to the rise in armed violence in the metropolis. In recent months, numerous shootings have taken place, especially in neighborhoods in the north and east of the metropolis, causing several collateral victims, including teenagers.
However, “given the meteoric rise in cases linked to the appearance of the Omicron variant and the current tightening of health measures to curb the spread of the virus [causant la] COVID-19, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, in agreement with the City of Montreal, has decided to postpone the holding of the forum against gun violence that was initially scheduled for January 26 and 27 to a later date », Indicates a press release issued Friday afternoon by the police force.
Joined by The duty, the SPVM explained that it is important for its team that this forum allows its participants to meet in person. The option of a virtual event, as many organizations continue to organize, like the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, is therefore not in the boxes of the police force.
“The SPVM strongly wishes to hold this forum and intends to bring together institutional and community decision-makers to this event as soon as the health context allows it to be done in a safe manner,” added the press release.
This announcement comes the day after the presentation of the SPVM’s budget by its director, Sylvain Caron. The latter then indicated that the metropolis has been facing, since 2019, “an extraordinary situation in terms of violence by firearms”. The SPVM’s 2022 budget is also inflated by $ 45 million compared to that of 2021, in part to finance the police force’s fight against firearms and organized crime.