At the request of a customer, two police officers from the MULTI team went to a business in the Limoilou sector.
“A man had a disjointed speech, he talked to himself,” relates William Robitaille, spokesperson for the Quebec City Police Department. (Please)
On site, the 31-year-old man was taken care of by the police. According to information from Soleil, This is a person experiencing homelessness.
“He wasn’t really dressed, so the police wanted to find him some warm clothes and a place to go to help him,” he continues.
The police officers therefore escorted the individual to the PECH café, located on Charest Boulevard, so that he could meet a worker.
Disorganized
But once there, the 31-year-old man “didn’t want help.” In this context, the resource could not keep him.
“When the workers told him to leave, he became disorganized. This is where the police had to intervene to get him out of the resource,” explains Mr. Robitaille.
-During this altercation, the two police officers suffered “minor injuries”. They were transported to a hospital to be evaluated.
“Quite rare”
In Quebec, police interventions with “disorganized” individuals are frequent, according to William Robitaille, spokesperson for the SPVQ.
In recent years, the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased throughout the province.
The City of Quebec has also asked the SPVQ to increase foot patrol officers in the Saint-Roch district, where several resources for vulnerable people are located.
However, such strong interventions are not everyday occurrences. “Injured police officers are still quite rare,” says Mr. Robitaille.
The spokesperson is not able to confirm whether the agents have been placed on sick leave.