The Press has learned that the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) is seriously studying the possibility of merging its two stations east of downtown, which cover areas at the heart of the homelessness crisis.
Posted at 1:43 a.m.
Updated at 7:00 a.m.
The police officers from station 22, located near the Radio-Canada offices, would be integrated into station 21, installed in Voyageur Island, according to the current scenario. The decision is, however, delicate, since the municipal council voted for a moratorium on the closure of posts.
The police did not directly confirm the information from The Press, but indicated that they had “undertaken a reflection on how to ensure police coverage in the sector”. The lease for station 22 will expire “at the beginning of 2025”.
“Different options are being studied at the moment to meet the needs of the population, while taking into account the realities of the sector,” said communications manager Anik de Repentigny, by email.
“Discussions are underway with municipal authorities,” she added. “As soon as a complete proposal is available, the SPVM will contact the Public Security Commission, as it committed to doing last April. The proposed project may thus be the subject of consultations. »
The office of Mayor Valérie Plante did not want to comment. “We have full confidence in our police chief to carry out the mission and operations of the SPVM to ensure the safety of Montrealers,” said press secretary Simon Charron.
“My police officers should be on the road”
The question of mergers of SPVM neighborhood stations comes up periodically in the news.
In 2022, Chief Sylvain Caron surprised elected officials by announcing that he “no longer believed in the current structure” of the police force with its 30 neighborhood stations. “Currently, I maintain buildings and I put police officers in buildings […]while my police officers should be on the road,” he denounced, affirming that he would table a plan including station closures.
Valérie Plante quickly closed the door to this scenario. Mr. Caron left office three months later.
In the process, opposition elected official Abdelhaq Sari had the municipal council vote for a moratorium on the merger of positions in the absence of an overall plan submitted for consultation, a moratorium already adopted by the same body in 2020.
“I am outraged to learn that the SPVM is considering merging two neighborhood stations again, in particular PDQ 22 located in the Village considering the glaring security needs in this neighborhood,” Mr. Sari reacted this week, in a written statement. “Especially since the elected officials of the municipal council, including members of the Plante administration, unanimously adopted three motions in recent years requesting that the SPVM present a police coverage plan before proceeding with all new changes concerning the number of neighborhood stations or their location. We are also waiting for this new scheme. »
With the collaboration of Daniel Renaud, The Press
