Crimes against the person, which include attempted murder, assault, sexual assault and robbery, have almost doubled between 2022 and 2023 in the Montreal metro network, we learned 24 hours.
Data from the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) on violent crimes committed in the metro, obtained by 24 hoursconfirm the feeling of insecurity that many users and employees of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) have felt for months.
Attempted murder, assault, sexual offenses and robbery have indeed jumped by 80% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Sexual assault is the fastest growing category.
SPVM data
Between 2021 and 2022, the number of crimes against the person increased by 25%, according to SPVM activity reports.
“In general, we have seen an increase in incivility and certain categories of criminal acts in the metro in recent years. The amplification of certain social phenomena during the pandemic has been identified as a probable cause of this situation,” specifies 24 hours SPVM spokesperson, Mélanie Bergeron.
More complex social issues
At the STM, we explain that the evolution of the crime rate underground follows the same trend as that observed in the streets of Montreal.
“As the metro reflects the general public space, we can observe the same increasingly complex social issues,” underlines spokesperson Laurence Houde-Roy.
The explosion in drug use and mental health cases, in addition to the housing crisis, are leading more “vulnerable people” to frequent the network, she argues.
Last spring, STM special constables made the same observation and sounded the alarm. Users also demanded an increased presence of police and security agents in metro stations.
Adding resources to the field
To respond to the rise in violent crime, 16 special constables were added to the team in December. There are now more than 150 hired by the STM.
A new cohort should join the team next September, says Mme Houde-Roy. She recalls that security expenses are among the only ones to be increased each year, despite the difficult financial context at the STM.
“Emergency calls from the metro […] are now handled by the 16 neighborhood stations with a station on their territory, specifies Mélanie Bergeron of the SPVM. This way of doing things should result in an optimization of our response time.”
JOEL LEMAY/AGENCE QMI
These requests were previously the concern of the six neighborhood stations of the South Division, in addition to that of the Montreal metro section.
A third intervention and consultation team (ÉMIC) and eight social workers from the Mobile Social Mediation Team (ÉMMIS) were also deployed in the field in the last year.
The idea, according to the STM, is to offer an appropriate response to vulnerable people and to guide them to the right resources, in order to ensure the safety of all users of the underground network.
