The Quebec government has decided to grant an additional $250 million over five years to strengthen the police presence in the metropolitan region and fight against armed violence.
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The announcement was made by the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, on Saturday afternoon, with the minister responsible for the Montreal region, Chantal Rouleau, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, and the interim director of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM), Sophie Roy.
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«[…] The population needs to feel an increased police presence, said Geneviève Guilbault in a press release. It is my priority to provide all the necessary support to our police officers as they step up their operations to combat gun violence in the coming weeks and months.”
The amount will make it possible to increase the police force of the SPVM and to deploy a mobile team of mediation and social intervention (EMMIS) on the territory of Montreal to relieve the police officers of psychosocial issues.
The number of police cadets trained at the École nationale de police du Québec for the police service of the City of Montreal will also be increased. The City of Montreal plans to hire 450 new police officers over five years.
The École nationale de police du Québec will train 72 additional police officers per year to make up for the lack of staff at the SPVM.
The Mayor of Montreal wanted to send a strong message to the media.
“Montreal will not be the playground of criminals,” decided Valérie Plante during the press conference.
“With today’s announcement, we want to bring back the sense of security among Montrealers,” said Chantal Rouleau.
These new investments are in addition to the amount of nearly $200 million committed to the Quebec Strategy to Combat Armed Violence, CENTAURE.