It will take time for measures to combat the shootings that are sweeping the metropolis to bear fruit, acknowledged Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who nonetheless assured on Monday that the situation was not out of control.
“We will not deny the uncertainty [les fusillades] create. It’s true, it’s real. Yes, violent incidents do occur, but the SPVM is also doing phenomenal work that produces results,” Plante said during a press crowd on Monday.
The last week had been marked by multiple shootings, one of which claimed the life of Jayson Colin, a 26-year-old young man who was active in the Montreal North community.
Within 24 hours, no fewer than 80 shots were fired in the north-east of the city. In an interview with the Journal de Montréal Monday morning, criminologist Maria Mourani mentioned that this phenomenon could be linked to “scoring,” how gang members commit crimes in “hostile” territory to score points.
For her part, Ms Plante highlighted the efforts of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), which was able to make several quick arrests, as well as the work of community organizations on the ground.
“It will take time for certain measures to bear fruit,” she admitted.
For their part, the official opposition in Montreal believes that public safety must be a higher priority for the Plante administration while “parents are scared”.
“There is a way to thank this police department. It aims to remedy the lack of resources,” said Abdelhaq Sari, the opposition spokesman on public security, mentioning a shortage of police personnel at the SPVM in this regard.
He also deplored a lack of public trust in the SPVM, which he believed would lead to less cooperation from citizens.
“If we don’t fix this quickly, there will be problems,” he fears, urging the city to put more pressure on police to be equipped with handheld cameras.
Incidentally, it was a promise made by Ms. Plante during the last election campaign.