Les Montréalais sont attachés à leur poste de police local, a affirmé jeudi la mairesse de Montréal Valérie Plante, deux semaines après que le chef du Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) ait remis en question le modèle de police de quartier en vigueur dans la métropole.
Publié à 11h19
Valérie Plante a affirmé qu’elle attendait une proposition en bonne et due forme du chef Sylvain Caron avant de prendre position sur une éventuelle vague de fermetures de postes locaux.
« Le modèle des postes de quartier en est un qui est important pour les Montréalais et les Montréalaises », a dit la mairesse jeudi, au conseil municipal. Elle répondait à une question du chef de l’opposition, Aref Salem. Elle a continué : « Est-ce qu’il y a des ajustements à faire ou des réflexions [à avoir] ? I have always said that I am in favor of reflections on the organizational culture and the different models. »
Mr. Salem asked the mayor for an at least temporary moratorium on the closure of neighborhood stations. Mme Plante did not want to make a commitment in this regard.
“The chief of police has the right to ask questions and to submit hypotheses and to file different elements, said Valérie Plante. As of today, there is still no plan that has been presented to our team. […] We would like to have a lot more information to be able to position ourselves on this. »
At the beginning of January, police chief Sylvain Caron took everyone by surprise by publicly affirming that the neighborhood police model, which has organized the SPVM for 25 years, had had its day.
Mr. Caron argued that maintaining 30 antennae scattered across the island was too costly in terms of money and personnel.
“I no longer believe in the current structure,” he told elected municipal officials responsible for reviewing municipal services. “You have to get out of the structure in which you are currently if you want to survive. »
“If we maintain the current situation of 30 neighborhood stations on the island of Montreal, there will be a shortage of 250 police officers, he continued in a virtual audience. Currently I am maintaining buildings and putting police in buildings […], when my police should be on the road. »