Quebec police forces began visiting the various bars in the region in an impressive show of force.
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Shortly before 7:30 p.m. Friday evening, a dozen patrol cars arrived at once at the Quebec Broue parking lot, a facility on Wilfrid-Hamel Boulevard near Père-Lelièvre.
The RCMP, the Sûreté du Québec and the SPVQ were represented among the contingent, which did not go unnoticed. The police could also count on the presence of a dog handler. The officers appeared polite, courteous and assertive.
Police quickly entered the building en masse to identify customers, who had to show their ID. A few minutes later, the convoy drove towards its next destination with its blue lights on. Her passage was brief but clearly visible.
“Strong message”
At least two or three customers who did not have identification were escorted to their cars so they could collect their wallets.
Earlier in the day, the Sûreté du Québec mentioned that it wanted to send “a strong signal” to organized crime with a bar crawl in eastern Quebec in connection with the violent events that occurred in the province during the week.
“Photo Jean-François Racine / Le Journal de Québec”
“We want to calm things down after everything that happened this week, especially in Saint-Malachie. We will go to bars to talk to people and socialize,” explains Sûreté du Québec spokesman Hugues Beaulieu.
After three particularly bloody stories, provincial police decided to dial back their presence at numerous facilities in Quebec.
On Thursday evening, police also began a bar crawl in Chaudière-Appalaches, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the North Coast.
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