The president of the Brotherhood of Police Officers of Montreal (FPPM) is fed up with seeing police officers overwhelmed in the midst of an upsurge in violence due to lack of resources and calls on “the sense of responsibility of the mayor” Valérie Plante to act.
According to Yves Francoeur, “Montreal police officers are struggling to cope with the task” in the face of recent extortion attempts, arson and the increase in violence among street gangs.
“We need more staff on the territory, more resources. It takes more than fine words to address current issues, it takes investments, it takes an action plan and it takes real political will to tackle the problems,” he stressed on Thursday, after having sent a letter to the mayor to inform her that there is “urgency to act”.
In addition to the lack of police officers in the territory, the president of the FPPM also warned of a lack of patrol cars.
“The problem does not come from the management of the SPVM, it comes from above. It can’t always be the government’s fault either, the mayor has the power to act. We can’t just focus on prevention and wait-and-see with everything that’s happening. That would be irresponsible,” he argued.
A few weeks before the municipal budget is tabled, Mr. Francoeur is also concerned about a possible spending limit on the part of the Plante administration.
“Now is not the time to slash public security. We appeal to the mayor’s sense of responsibility,” he insisted.
The president of the FPPM also criticized the City of Montreal for not yet having submitted its police organization plan to the Ministry of Public Security, which provides for the minimum number of personnel necessary to meet its mission.
