Joint patrol by Montréal Police and Nunavik Police in Montréal: early signs of positive outcomes

NPS patrol officers Vincent-Olivier Lalancette, Ahmed Dahamni, Félix Raymond and Jean-Simon Bernatchez (left to right on right side of photo) join Montréal Police patrol officers outside a SPVM neighbourhood station

During the weeks of September 23 and 30, police officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and eight others from the Nunavik Police Service (NPS) patrolled jointly in the Downtown (Ville-Marie East), Ville-Marie West, Westmount, Plateau-Mont-Royal and Dorval neighbourhoods of Montréal.

Four days a week, they carried out more than 100 hours of patrolling together to meet members of the Inuit community who live or stay in Montréal.

Facilitating dialogue and reassuring safety

This initiative was necessary following events that occurred a few months ago in Nunavik, which had an impact on the sense of security felt by the Inuit community in Montréal.

Faced with this situation, concerted action was organized between the SPVM and the NPS, in collaboration with the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), the City of Montréal and Inuit community organizations.

As part of this joint patrol, police personnel from the SPVM and the NPS worked to facilitate dialogue, reassure people, and encourage victims and witnesses to report any situation that compromised their safety or that of others.

A satisfying experience for police officers

Most of the time, two NPS police officers patrolled with two SPVM foot patrollers or socio-community officers from neighbourhood police stations. The patrollers also met with the SPVM team dedicated to Disappearances, Family Search and Kidnapping (EDRE) and the Mobile Homelessness Reference and Intervention Team (EMRII).

Pairing police officers from the SPVM and the NPS is a first for both services. All deployed personnel are satisfied with this experience and wish to relive it. These police officers also proposed improvements in order for this collaboration to continue.

How to contact the police

Police officers reminded members of the Inuit community living or staying in Montréal of the importance of contacting the police in the event of intimidation, threats, criminal acts or any other worrying situation.

In Montréal

• In case of emergency, call 911.
• If it is not an emergency, contact your neighbourhood police station (PDQ) in Montréal directly by calling 514-280-01XX (XX corresponds to the PDQ number). To find your PDQ, visit the SPVM website: spvm.qc.ca/fr/pdq.
• It is also possible to contact Info-Crime Montréal anonymously and confidentially at 514-393-1133 or via the reporting form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website.

In Nunavik

• For anonymous reports, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-711-1800 or via the online tip form at echecaucrime.com.
• To provide confidential information on alcohol or drug smuggling, send a message to tips@nunavikpolice.ca.