Montreal Metro's new safety plan raises concerns

The Montreal transit authority is beefing up security at some metro stations to address safety concerns amid a growing number of people with mental health or addiction issues on the line.

Under the plan announced Wednesday, the Societe de Transport de Montreal — commonly known as STM — will deploy special constables and other security personnel in teams of four to monitor 10 stations where riders feel unsafe, where safety director Jocelyn Latulippe said. . He said civil behavior was the biggest problem.

Each security team is responsible for a group of three or four stations, among which they investigate premises and respond quickly to problematic situations, Latulippe told reporters.

The new safety plan went into effect on Saturday and will remain in place until the end of the month as a bridge from the cold weather, when many people take shelter in the subways, to the warmer months when there are fewer mental health issues online. , Latulippe explained. He said STM could extend the operation if necessary.

The announcement comes less than a week after an attack outside Lionel-Groulks station sent a 35-year-old man to hospital with serious injuries. Police said they have arrested four teenagers on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

“We're in 2024 in a situation that's not like it was before the pandemic,” STM Board President Eric Alan Caldwell said Wednesday. “There is an increase in reports. There is an increase in vulnerable clients, addiction, mental health in our network. We are concerned about the integrity of our clients,” he said. “We don't want to take our customers for granted.”

Latulippe said the goal of the new safety plan is to reassure riders, but ultimately requires more intervention from health and social services to escort those who need help to the appropriate resources. Otherwise, he said, the subway will remain a revolving door for people who need help but have no other options.

Caldwell called for better health and housing. “Our network is downstream of the problem,” he said. “If we don't address housing, clinical supervision, mental health and addiction issues, people who can't find a place elsewhere will find refuge in the subway.”

10 destination stations Bonaventure in downtown Montreal; to the east by Beaudry, Papineau, Frontenac, and Joliette; Atwater and Lionel-Groulks to the southwest; and Mont-Royal, Jean-Talon and Jarry in the north. Station 11, the Berry-UQAM transit hub, already provides regular security.

Several subway riders on Wednesday acknowledged that they sometimes feel unsafe on the subway because of the presence of people who are homeless or have health problems, but realized there are no simple solutions.

“I compare the Montreal metro now to Los Angeles, which has a lot of crime,” said Melissa Dumais, 38, inside the Bonaventure station. “We're not there yet, but if we keep going like this?”

Frédéric Beneteau, 20, admitted some riders were uncomfortable with vulnerable people who could show unpredictable behaviour. “But where do you put these people if not on the subway?” he asked. “That's my question.”

– This Canadian Press report was first published on April 10, 2024.