The province’s long-awaited new anti-pimp unit has made around 100 arrests across Quebec in its first year.
• Also read: Police could be deprived of a tool to hunt down sex offenders
• Also read: Operation Scorpion: 20 years later, the Scourge still exists
Twenty years after Operation Scorpion captured the collective imagination, authorities now have the resources to work more effectively across all regions of Quebec.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Karine Lacroix, leader of the Integrated Pimping Squad (EILP) of the Sûreté du Québec.
“In the first year we didn’t expect to stop so many. I think pimps are more numerous today,” says Captain Karine Lacroix, leader of the Integrated Anti-Pimping Team (EILP) in the Sûreté du Québec.
In 2021, Minister Geneviève Guilbault and Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette announced nearly $100 million over five years specifically to expose and fight sexual exploitation and bring “predators” to justice.
In court
The government wanted to strengthen the ability of the EILP to act, which celebrated its one-year anniversary on October 1st. In a hundred arrests there are also clients.
“We have been involved in more than 200 pimping cases in the past year. We also met with 200 victims, of whom 121 victims decided to report. That’s not trivial,” explains the police officer.
This rate of judicialization is not negligible given that many fragile victims do not wish to be brought to justice.
If social networks are the gateway to recruitment, popular justice on the internet has never put a pimp behind bars.
A positive balance
The squad’s goal is simple: protect victims, help them get out of pimping, direct them to the right resources, and assist them through court cases.
Originally from Montmagny, Karine Lacroix has 28 years of experience. In her opinion, it was absolutely necessary to show what had been achieved in the last year.
The victims, not necessarily younger, are still traveling from province to province and from region to region.
A young girl from Saguenay can go to Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles before translating to Rimouski to attract other customers. High mobility is still used to isolate victims and cover their tracks.
“Not just in the city. We now have the proof. It is everywhere. We must show the reality of pimping in 2022. This can allow parents to direct their actions to raise awareness of their youngsters. »
Karine Lacroix is particularly proud of the Les Survivantes program, in which former victims work on new interventions. A total of 19 men and women support the police in often painful encounters.
“The profile is important and we try to assign the right person. You are living proof that it is possible to leave the industry. We also need to make them understand that this is not normal,” concludes Captain Lacroix.
Several customers were also handcuffed
As the pandemic subsided, at least 27 customers were arrested in four special operations conducted in three major urban centers.
“Between April and September we conducted four operations targeting clients. Twice in Montreal, Quebec and Gatineau. We arrested 27 clients who were leaving with thoughts of meeting a 16-year-old victim. You have to attack on all axes,” says Karine Lacroix.
Criminologist Maria Mourani, co-author of the book Operation Scorpion: The Underside of the Large Investigation into Child Prostitution in Quebec, also believes there is a need for more outreach to customers.
Legally, however, this strategy is not easy, since the accused also have rights. The Supreme Court is currently considering four cases in Ontario involving defendants alleging imprisonment.
“The main player in the system is the customer. The prostitute. This is the weak link in this fight against procurement. You have to hit as hard as pimps,” explains Ms Mourani, who wants more use of wiretapping, spinning and other available means to contain the scourge.
to be taken seriously
For ex-investigator Roger Ferland, also author of the book about Scorpion, the mere existence of the EILP is excellent news.
“People are always taken seriously and investigations are conducted by competent personnel. It must go on and they are here to stay. The more clients we arrest, the more efficient we will be. We also have to do prevention,” he says.
The situation is also positive in the municipal sector.
“EILP investigators have a lot of know-how, empathy and instinct. Don’t hurt the victim and choose the right moment. Their collaboration is currently very effective,” concludes Geneviève Quinty, Director of the Quebec Prostitution Intervention Project (PIPQ).
♦ The Integrated Pimping Squad fights against pimping, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and child prostitution. The EILP consists of seven police forces: the SPVM, the SPVQ, the Service de Police de Laval, that of Gatineau, that of Longueuil, the RCMP and the SQ.
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