The Montreal police (SPVM) presented highlights of their 2023 annual report and 2024-2026 strategic plan on Monday afternoon.
It shows crime is up in the city by at 12 per cent for last year, compared to 2022. There is also an increase in assaults, representing nearly 60 per cent of crimes against the person. However, there was a decrease when it comes to homicides and attempted murders.
There was a significant decrease of 26 per cent when it comes to armed violence last year.
Hates incidents and crimes are up, compared to 2022, with 171 incidents and 353 hate crimes.
“Over the past year, all of the organization’s teams have worked hard to meet the challenges faced by the SPVM in maintaining the safety and security of the metropolis, thereby preserving citizens’ sense of security,” said the force in a press release.
Police chief Fady Dagher and three assistant directors, Cédric Couture, head of the proximity services branch, Marc Charbonneau, head of the specialized services branch, and Vincent Richer, head of the organizational services branch were all on hand for the presentation at police headquarters in downtown Montreal.
There was an in increase in property crimes starting in 2022 continued into 2023. “Simple theft and motor vehicle theft represent the largest proportion of property crimes. The SPVM made 538 arrests and recovered 6384 stolen vehicles in Quebec and outside the province.”
Thanks to a number of recruitment and retention initiatives and incentives, the SPVM says they’ve hired 312 police officers and attracted 50 retirees as reservists. For the first time in five years, they’ve achieved a net increase of 91 police officers.
There has been a gradual increase in the number of collisions, approaching pre-pandemic levels. The number of serious injury collisions has decreased compared to the last five years. There has also been an increase in the number of fatalities in collisions over the last five years.
Highlights of the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan
The strategic plan is based on a number of consultation and analysis exercises that have been carried out for nearly three years with citizens, partners and staff members to determine their expectations with a view to meeting them.
“Through this strategic plan, the SPVM seeks to promote citizen trust, innovate in its practices and contribute to building a safe, inclusive and resilient environment for all Montrealers. The exercise puts forward a new vision ‘towards a proactive and integrated police force’, a vision in which the sacred bond with the citizen and the rapprochement with all populations are at the heart of the reflection,” declared Dagher.
The forces major priorities for the next three years are: To earn the trust of the public, of all Montrealers; To be reassuring to the public and feared by the criminal world; To regain our full capacity to act.
They say that there are a number of initiatives that will continue or be implemented over the next three years to accomplish their priorities:
- Implementation of three action plans: Plan to fight discrimination and racism 2025-2028; Plan of action internally for relations with Inidgenous comunities 2023-2025; Plan of action for equity, diverseity, and inclusion 2024-2027.
- Establishment of multi-sectoral firearms teams (EMAF) and deployment of Collectives strategy in each of their four regions.
- Implementation of a global strategy involving other law enforcement agencies and partners in the area of motor vehicle theft.
- Implementation of our Road Safety Master Plan.
- Improving metro users’ sense of security through our MEGA project.
- Updating the model for the distribution of police officers across Montreal to ensure that the right number of patrol officers and investigators are in the right place.
- Distribution of police vehicles by actual proximity, i.e. our patrol cars are distributed according to their exact GPS positioning for life-threatening calls.
- Nearly 30 technological systems will be implemented, upgraded or replaced to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
“I’m very proud of the work we’ve all done together, like a big village. I would like to thank all our civilian and police personnel, as well as our institutional and community partners, and the citizens who contribute day after day to the urban safety of the population, of all Montrealers,” concluded Dagher.