Faced with a series of violent events that occurred in the metro recently, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) intends to increase the visibility of its special constables in stations deemed problematic, according to what has been learned The duty. On Tuesday, Mayor Plante assured that the City will continue its efforts to make metro users feel safe in the underground network.
Last week, several attacks occurred at Lionel-Groulx station. A man was stabbed by minors. Then, the daughter of the columnist of The Press Nathalie Collard and Quebecor host Richard Martineau were punched in the face in the evening at the same metro station.
Despite these events, Mayor Plante believes that the Montreal metro is a safe place. “We must not minimize violent incidents. But it is important for me to remember that the Montreal metro remains safe. However, we must not neglect the feeling of security,” she indicated Tuesday on the sidelines of an announcement concerning pedestrian streets in Montreal.
The City will handle the matter as it did to counter the increase in armed violence observed in 2022, she said. “In the same way, our administration will continue to act for the metro. In preparation for the summer, there will be more agents. There are special SPVM squads. We have more ambassadors and metro security. We will continue this work. »
“I take the metro on a regular basis. I’ve taken the subway my whole life. I am extremely attached to it,” she continued. “We don’t want to let the situation deteriorate. »
Increased visibility
According to information obtained by The duty, the STM plans to ensure that special constables are more visible in at least a dozen metro stations, including Lionel-Groulx, Beaudry, Papineau, Lucien-L’Allier, Jarry and Bonaventure. These are not additional resources, but additional time will be required from constables.
The STM must also make an announcement on this subject Wednesday morning.
In recent months, the City and the STM have intensified surveillance in the network and established a new intervention model. In order to give the SPVM more latitude to conduct investigations, emergency calls are now transmitted to neighborhood stations located in the area of metro stations. The SPVM collaborates with STM special constables and Mobile Mediation and Social Intervention Team (EMMIS) agents. There are also the members of the Metro Intervention and Consultation Team (EMIC) as well as the security ambassadors deployed in the stations since last January. And at least 16 new special constables were hired last December.
Quebec’s decision to put an end, on March 31, to the $7.4 million in funding granted to the Community Consultation and Rallying Team (ECCR), as revealed by Radio-Canada last month, is not likely to help the STM. Made up of community workers and police officers, this team has been patrolling the metropolis on foot since September 2021.
The mayor recalled Tuesday the importance of Quebec’s support in managing mental health issues of drug addiction and homelessness. To this end, the STM has also requested a meeting with the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, to discuss the issue and invite him to visit the metro.
In 2023, the STM recorded 47,000 calls and interventions from its special constables, compared to 42,000 the previous year, an increase of almost 12%. In the first three months of 2024, the STM recorded 16,700 interventions carried out by constables, security ambassadors and EMMIS stakeholders.
By email, Lionel Carmant’s office maintained that the minister was sensitive to the situation of vulnerable people and that to this end, he had announced last November an investment of 9.7 million which made it possible to add 188 beds in Montreal accommodation centers for the winter season.
Armed constables?
Struggling with limited financial resources, the STM suffers from a lack of staff, estimates the president of the Fraternity of Constables and Peace Officers of the STM, Kevin Grenier. “The pandemic created a big break,” he said, noting that over time, all kinds of individuals, some of whom were struggling with drug addiction, mental health or homelessness problems, took up residence in the metro. “There is a lack of resources adapted to their conditions. Better support is needed [par le réseau de la santé]. »
He also believes that an increase in the visibility of uniformed employees and better lighting of stations would increase users’ feeling of security. “We must regain control of our stations. It is possible to get there, but it requires an increase in staff numbers and high visibility. »
Kevin Grenier does not, however, go so far as to say that Montreal should call on the army to help as New York did, which used the military to secure its metro.
Mr. Grenier also suggests that special constables could be better equipped. They have telescopic sticks and, for the past month, have been equipped with cayenne pepper gel — which has not been used until now, he explains. “Should we be armed?” I think the question seriously deserves to be asked because in the context and when we see what is happening outside the network, we see that it is also happening inside the network,” explains he. If a firearm is not always appropriate for an enclosed place like the metro, it at least has a “big deterrent effect”, he emphasizes.
Kevin Grenier also believes that constables could be equipped with electrical impulse weapons. “But that doesn’t mean we use them. This is the last resort. »
For his part, the leader of the opposition at city hall, Aref Salem, who deplores that the Plante administration has reduced the police force in the STM network by 20%, plans to present the action plan on Wednesday. of Ensemble Montréal to improve safety in the metro.