According to the Association of Quebec Police Officers (APPQ), police officers in the province would be driving in vehicles subject to major recalls, which would jeopardize their safety.
According to the APPQ, no fewer than 106 Sûreté du Québec (SQ) Ford Explorer vehicles have been recalled since mid-June because of a faulty part in the transmission, but no one has been briefed on the situation.
The association laments the employer’s lack of “transparency and rigor” on the matter and worries about its members.
“It is inconceivable that 10 years after the death of police officer Katia Hadouchi, nothing has changed at the employer level in how recalls are managed to make police vehicles safer,” said Dominic Ricard, president of the APPQ, from the beginning.
Police officer Katia Hadouchi died on September 27, 2012 at the wheel of a vehicle that was the subject of a manufacturer recall while responding to a domestic violence emergency call in the Lanaudière region. The policewoman was traveling at almost 180 km/h during the accident, but the coroner in charge of investigating this tragedy was unable to establish a direct link between the tragic loss of control and the parts of her car affected by the recall, namely the front suspension arms.
Another accident involving a recalled vehicle occurred on October 31, 2021 in the Charlevoix area. According to APPQ, part of the vehicle’s rear wheel broke, resulting in a loss of control. This recall was reported by Transport Canada on April 4, 2020, more than a year before the incident. Fortunately, the police officer involved was unharmed.
The Surete du Québec says it takes the safety of its police officers and citizens “very seriously.” In this case, the SQ claims to have consulted the manufacturer and commissioned an independent engineering firm to determine whether the use of the vehicles concerned poses a risk to the police.
“At the end of the opinion, it appears that no other actions than those already foreseen in our management guidelines are required at this time,” said Lieutenant Anne Mathieu, spokeswoman for the SQ.
According to her, the manufacturer was not informed of any accidents or injuries related to the faulty mechanical part.