Difficult recruitment, high churn rates, understaffing, struggling patrol officers and investigators, ongoing armed violence, relationships of trust with communities that need to be restored; The challenges for the new head of the SPVM, who was sworn in on Thursday, are manifold.
Posted at 5:00 am
“My three critical years are 2023, 2024 and 2025. It is absolutely necessary that I find solutions in these years,” says Fady Dagher.
In his opinion, the solution to all these challenges depends above all on stopping the bleeding that has been thinning the ranks of the SPVM for several years.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to be able to fill ranks, assist in investigations and do local and concerted policing so quickly. I’m really going to have to solve the recruitment problem first,” he said.
In 2022, more than 242 police officers left the SPVM. Thus, 72 have resigned and 148 have retired.
“A first cohort of 72 police officers is exclusive to Montreal [censée] arrive from the National Police School of Quebec (ENPQ) in April. But I’m told that even those who have promised employment are beginning to be approached and some have decided to go elsewhere. They will leave before they even arrive,” laments Fady Dagher.
This year we plan to hire 310 police officers, but I’m not even sure we’ll be able to do that. I’m also not sure if we can keep all the hired staff and if 310 new police officers will be enough.
Fady Dagher, new leader of the SPVM
A tour of CEGEPs
Fady Dagher intends to go to the ENPQ and tour CEGEPs to persuade students to apply to Montreal.
It makes a special appeal to applicants currently registered with the ENPQ and invites candidates who come from an atypical background.
“People of diverse backgrounds and experiences consistent with policing reality in 2023 and connected to the reality of Montreal. They would come from a program that would include 8 months at CEGEP in addition to the 15 weeks at Nicolet. It would be an interesting path, but I don’t think it will bear fruit in 2023,” says the new head of the SPVM, adding that he is “in full discussion” with the city of Montreal and the Quebec Ministry of Public Safety to innovate to be able to do things differently and to attract candidates “because we’re experiencing a bleed right now and I want to try to reduce or even stop it in 2023 or 2024,” he hopes.
Another pull factor would be a pay rise, which is being discussed in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, which he wants to renew before the summer.
“There are other big irritations like the expensive city, metered parking at the neighborhood police stations, etc. I need to discuss that with the city. We need to find a way to better support local police,” he said.
parallel teams
“I need to save resources before I start talking about strategy and action plan,” says Fady Dagher.
At the community level, he already wants to establish links with the “leaders” of the various communities, but programs like those set up under his rule at the Longueuil police force will wait a little longer and will not be a copy and paste of what it is happens at SPAL when they are adopted in Montreal.
As for armed violence, the new leader reiterates that all sections and strategies are needed to combat the phenomenon.
However, he spoke readily of “parallel teams” and “amplification of investigations that could be provided through external partnerships”.
Fady Dagher also says he is in negotiations with “different spheres” to bring “robustness” to the SPVM’s various investigative branches.
“I will take care of the investigation to help you because I saw that you are also out of breath. We talk a lot about the shootings, but all the rest of the investigation, domestic violence, cybercrime, sexual assault, regional investigation, it’s going to need reinforcements. They can no longer lose ground,” he concludes.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514.285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the La Presse mailing address.