Montreal police overtime skyrocketed during the week of the Canadian Grand Prix compared to last year. Lack of resources, roadworks and commercial events in the city are the main causes.
• Also read: It is up to the Grand Prix organizer to pay more for overtime at the SPVM
The police recorded 8,408.73 overtime hours when the big Formula 1 circus, the most important event of the year for the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM), arrived in the metropolis from June 12th to 19th.
According to the SPVM, this is a 57% increase compared to the 5,359.58 hours recorded during the same event in 2022.
“It’s an important difference, but not surprising,” says Danielle Pilette, associate professor at UQAM’s School of Management Sciences (ESG) and an expert in municipal management.
“Many police officers are absent, so those who are working are working overtime due to limited human resources,” she adds, pointing to the problems and training issues. It’s not for nothing that they used retired police officers. There is a decline in numbers. »
To this end, the SPVM reports that 512 police officers are on parental or sick leave, representing more than 10% of the authorized workforce.
President of the Brotherhood of Police Officers of Montreal, Yves Francoeur, estimates that this extra work could cost about $840,000 during the week of the Grand Prix, considering that a police officer working overtime earns an average of $100 per hour deserved.
Yves Francoeur, President of the Brotherhood of Police Officers of Montreal Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
At the same time, in an interview with the Journal, he estimated that there is now a “12 to 15% staffing shortage” at the SPVM.
Rare succession
The SPVM, for its part, also justified the significant increase in overtime with the number of events planned in the city on the race weekend. These would have increased by 35% compared to 2022.
In addition, there is work in the area of the Pont de la Concorde, the main road to the Gilles-Villeneuve race track, which makes transport to the island of Notre-Dame a real torture.
Archive photo, QMI Agency
While traveling in place of cadets on the many roads leading to the racetrack, it was not uncommon to notice the presence of experienced police officers holding onto the traffic light keys.
In this context, Danielle Pilette raises another problem: the presence of experienced police officers and not cadets who hold on to the traffic light keys.
“This doesn’t just apply to major events. They are useful for blood circulation. Recruiting them is more difficult because it is underpaid and complicated. »
“The SPVM cannot guarantee them hours,” adds Yves Francoeur.
The additional police time bill is in addition to the other public expenses incurred by the Grand Prix.
The agreement with Formula 1 costs more than $20 million a year and the circuit has required investments of more than $110 million over the past six years.
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