Gun violence down in Montreal, more police patrolling streets, says SPVM chief

Montreal's police chief said Tuesday that gun violence was down in 2023 and that more officers were on the streets for the first time in five years.

Fadi Dagher, head De la Ville de Montreal Police Service, He pointed to statistics showing a 26 percent decrease in the number of shootings or attempted murders in 2023 compared to 2022.

He said the decline is due to the work of the police as well as the community. The SPVM used “targeted interception” to find illegal firearms and arrest those in their possession. They made 351 arrests and 775 gun seizures in 2023 related to firearms incidents — mostly handguns that came into the city through the U.S.

But police have also partnered with community organizations, and Dagher said prevention — making sure people don't feel the need to pick up guns or turn to crime — has played a key role in reducing gun violence.

“That's what makes Montreal a very safe city in Canada because everyone is concerned, not just the police,” he said. “I'm delighted, very proud, our police officers made up the 26 per cent difference, but it also comes from all our partners.”

SPVM also increased last year.

When hired in January 2023, Dagher said recruiting and solving the department's hiring challenges were among his top priorities. He described Montreal as a challenging but rewarding city to work with young police officers.

For years, the service has struggled with recruitment. In the past five years, it has failed to hire enough officers to replace those lost. Dagher attributed this in part to a challenging work environment and better working conditions elsewhere.

SPVM now has a new collective agreement, but working conditions and wages have improved, Dagher said.

In 2023, the SPVM recruited more than 300 new officers – a recruitment goal that was met. Currently, 4,580 officers work in this service, in 2022 there will be 4,489.

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These new recruits are going through a new integration program that gives them experience working with various community organizations before they go out on the streets.

Mayor Valerie Plante said that when the city chose to hire Daguerre, they hoped he would bring a fresh approach that he championed in Longueuil, Que., of balancing prevention and enforcement. He said he considered the past year a success and that Daguerre has achieved that balance so far.

“We want our police service to reach out to all of Montreal's communities, and we want to be strong against gun violence,” he said. “One year (since Daguerre was hired) we can say that we have not made a mistake.

SPVM brass said they are asking the city for more money to investigate organized crime involving car thefts and the smuggling of stolen vehicles through the Port of Montreal.

Although there were 538 arrests in connection with car theft last year, it was difficult to solve because it is organized by a large network, said Cédric Couture, deputy director of the SPVM.

Couture said four other people were arrested for carjacking Monday night, and three of them were under the age of 20.