Faced with the recent increase in violence in the metro, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is very seriously considering equipping its constables with cayenne pepper gel, has learned The Press.
These officers say they are not adequately equipped to deal with the increasingly frequent assaults and experience significant wait times when requesting emergency police reinforcements.
Two serious assaults have also taken place in recent months, denounces their union: a constable who fell to the ground was beaten up at the Radisson metro station, while another was hit with a bicycle lock at the Snowdon metro station.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
STM constables say they are not adequately equipped to deal with the increasingly frequent attacks in the Montreal metro.
“There is an increase in violence, as we see in the streets. There is an increase in crimes,” said Kevin Grenier, president of the Brotherhood of Constables and Peace Officers of the STM, affiliated with the CSN. “Since the pandemic, there has been a break. There was an explosion. »
“In 2022, 323 events involving the use of force took place, which corresponds to an increase of 17.88% compared to 2019”, indicates a report by the Commission for Standards, Equity, health and safety at work (CNESST) carried out after a complaint from the union which represents the agents and that The Press obtained.
An STM representative told the labor inspector who wrote the report that “cayenne pepper [en gel] is being implemented and will be ready to be distributed to special constables in early fall 2023”, subject to approval by the Board of Directors.
The jelly version of cayenne pepper allows use in an enclosed space such as the subway.
Called to react, the STM, however, qualified. “Cayenne pepper in gel form, for example, could be used as a last resort. […] An internal reflection in this regard is underway, ”said spokesperson Philippe Déry. “The police officers who patrol the metro and the peace officers or constables of all the transport networks in the country […] are endowed with it. »
Equipping the constables with cayenne pepper gel, “that would be a good thing,” said Kevin Grenier. He and his colleagues are currently equipped with batons, handcuffs and bulletproof vests.
“Telephone Game”
According to the CNESST report, obtained through access to information, cayenne pepper is not the only security issue for constables.
The document specifies that calls for police reinforcements go through at least five people (agent, then security center, then metro communication center, then 911, then SPVM), creating significant waiting times. Height of complexity: “several times, the police officers who arrive on requests for reinforcement mention that, for one of them, the code [utilisé] does not have the same meaning as for the STM”, notes the CNESST in its report, which judges the communication “deficient”.
“As we speak, nothing has changed. It’s still the same thing, it’s still the phone game, ”lamented trade unionist Kevin Grenier.
We lose seconds, important minutes. […] Sometimes assistance arrives a few minutes later, even 7, 8, 10, 12, 15 minutes later.
Kevin Grenier, President of the Fraternity of Constables and Peace Officers of the STM
The STM did not grant an interview to The Press.
In an email, its communications department assured that the organization is working to improve safety in the metro.
“We also announced additional security-related measures in the spring, with the addition of around twenty additional special constable positions and the creation of a new team of security ambassadors,” said the door. -words Philippe Déry. “We are also continuing our collaborative work with the SPVM to ensure optimal coverage of critical locations, increase personnel visibility and enable faster intervention. »
He pointed out that only 2% of constables’ interventions require the use of force. Each attack is “one too many and a post-event analysis is always carried out”, he added.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
The jelly version of cayenne pepper allows use in an enclosed space such as the subway.
“Defective” teamwork
The CNESST also notes in its report that certain behaviors of the constables themselves can create risks for their safety.
Thus, due to interpersonal conflicts in the workplace, “some special constables do not systematically respond to their sergeant when a risky situation is identified,” the report states. “Poor teamwork therefore increases the risk of aggression. »
In addition, the formation of patrol duos is left to the choice of the constables themselves at the start of each shift, which “means that new special constables can pair up together and could choose a more problematic territory when they have less experience.
Kevin Grenier acknowledged that “where there is man, there is manhood”, but added that these elements could never endanger its members.