SPVM and Nunavik Police Service announce deployment of a joint patrol in Montréal

MONTRÉAL, September 23, 2024 – Alain Vaillancourt, responsible for public security on the Executive Committee of the Ville de Montréal; Hilda Snowball, Chairperson of the Kativik Regional Government (KRG); Jean-Pierre Larose, Chief of Police with the Nunavik Police Service (NPS); and Chief Inspector Mohamed Aziz Bouhdid, Chief of Service de la région Ouest of the Direction des services de proximité of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), announced this afternoon the deployment of joint police patrol activities in Montréal. This operation pairs SPVM and NPS, police officers who usually work in Nunavik. Its objective is to strengthen the sense of safety and security of the Inuit community who live in or visit Montréal. This initiative is a first for both services.

Events taking place several months ago in Nunavik have impacted the sense of security felt by Inuit living in and visiting Montréal. Faced with this situation, in collaboration with the City of Montréal, the KRG and Inuit community organizations, the SPVM and the NPS are coordinating actions to provide additional security. As part of the joint response, police officers from both services will be meeting with Inuit in different areas of the city.

Deployment of the joint patrol

During the weeks of September 23 and 30, four days a week, SPVM police officers, mainly from neighborhood police stations (PDQ) 5, 12, 21 and 38, and the NPS will patrol both on foot and by car in the following sectors:
• Centre-ville – Ville-Marie Est
• Ville-Marie Ouest, Westmount
• Plateau Mont-Royal
• Dorval
Through this initiative, the two police forces will encourage dialogue, reassure Inuit residents, and encourage victims and witnesses to report any situation that compromises their safety or that of others.

How to contact the police
In case of intimidation, threats, foul play or to report any concern, it is important to contact the police.

In Montréal
• In case of emergency, call 911.
• If it is not an emergency, contact your neighborhood police station (PDQ) in Montréal directly by calling 514-280-01XX (XX corresponds to the PDQ number). To find your PDQ, visit the SPVM: 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 website infocrimemontreal.ca.

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 about alcohol or drug smuggling, send a message to tips@nunavikpolice.ca .

Quotes
"Ville de Montréal welcomes the operation that the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and the Nunavik Police Service will be carrying out in Montréal, in collaboration with the Kativik Regional Government. It fits in well with our desire to work closely with our urban and Indigenous government partners to develop projects, adopt policies and offer services adapted to the needs of Montreal's Indigenous communities.”

Alain Vaillancourt
Responsible for Public Security on the Executive Committee of Ville de Montréal

"This pilot is a first of its kind. I am grateful to the Nunavik Police Service and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal for their commitment to better protect the well-being and safety of vulnerable members of Montreal's Inuit community as well as Nunavimmiut (members of the Inuit people of Nunavik) who visit Montreal for many important reasons. Montréal is an important access point for Nunavimmiut. I hope that these measures taken by the police will reassure our sisters and brothers that we are attentive to their safety, and that we will do everything in our power to preserve their right to continue their livelihood activities without fear or concern.”

Hilda Snowball
Chairperson, Kativik Regional Government

"The response of the Nunavik Police Service and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal includes joint patrols in neighbourhoods frequented by Inuit, the exchange of detailed information on criminal activity and the transmission of prevention advice to members of the Inuit community concerning, among other things, how to report threats and harassing behaviour to the authorities in a confidential manner. These measures are intended to reassure Montréal’s Inuit residents and the thousands of Nunavimmiut who visit the city each year, that their safety and well-being are a priority.”

Jean-Pierre Larose
Chief of Police, Nunavik Police Service

"The SPVM and the Nunavik Police Service signed a partnership agreement in 2019. Over the years, the collaboration between the SPVM and the NPS has intensified, particularly with regard to investigations related to the disappearance of Inuit. This is certainly one of the factors that allowed the SPVM to locate Indigenous women reported missing from 2019 to 2023 (360 in total), with the exception of one of them. The search for information continues to locate this person. The joint patrol activities of the SPVM and the NPS demonstrate the extent to which this partnership has grown, and the sharing of information intensified.”

Mohamed Aziz Bouhdid
Chief Inspector, Service de la région Ouest, Direction des services de proximité
Service de police de la Ville de Montréal