An unprecedented wave of layoffs has hit the ranks of the Montreal police force, to the point where the union’s president is seriously concerned about the health of patrol officers.
“This is outrageous,” says Yves Francœur, head of the Montreal Police Fraternity. “People used to crowd the doors to work in Montreal, and now it’s the other way around. We currently have over a hundred police officers in the process of being recruited by the SQ or RCMP. »
In 2022, 218 employees left the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM): 144 people retired and 74 resigned. About 200 recruitments were made during the same period, according to the Brotherhood. Compared to the previous year, there are currently 45 fewer police officers in the SPVM.
On Wednesday, the union organization sent a message to its thousands of members to reflect on what has been a particularly intense holiday season.
When the collective agreement normally stipulates that officers have either Christmas or New Year’s Eve off, many have had to don their uniforms during both celebrations. And not to mention the police, who had to work overtime during the holidays due to a lack of staff.
“Recreation is important in our work,” explains Mr. Francoeur. Our people have to make important decisions in split seconds. People are exhausted. »
More and more need
Therefore, in light of this observation, the Brotherhood is concerned about the physical and mental health of the police officers. As evidence, the union noted a 56 percent increase in employee assistance program consultation requests between 2017 and 2021.
In addition, many squads have been created in recent years to respond to urgent problems, such as the ARRET project, which required 68 police officers to fight against armed violence in the metropolis.
“Squads are all well and good, but every time they form one, they remove a cop from the street and can’t replace him,” said one police officer on condition of anonymity. Result: In the end we have forced overtime on sick leave and sometimes even not enough staff to cover the area properly. »
Weak interest in Nicolet
And the trend continues at the National Police School of Quebec in Nicolet, where few would-be police officers want to come to Montreal to work, according to our sources. According to the fraternity, the ridiculous salary upon hiring, the lack of support from the city, the more dangerous and violent everyday life, the citizens’ habit of filming police operations, the lack of parking and the exorbitant rental costs are the main reasons behind this lack of enthusiasm.
The SPVM preferred not to comment on Thursday so as not to disrupt the extension of the next collective agreement, which has now expired and whose negotiations have begun.
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