Security has been re-established in the metro system as the number of vulnerable groups of the population increases

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The Société de transport de Montréal is concentrating security staff at certain metro stations, officials say, due to a growing number of people with mental health or addictions on the line.

Under the plan announced Wednesday, Société de Transport de Montréal security director Jocelyn Latulippe said four special constables and other security personnel would be deployed to monitor 10 stations where riders say they feel unsafe. He said civil behavior was the biggest problem.

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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 operate until the end of the month as a bridge from the cold weather, when many people seek refuge in the subway, to the warmer months, when there are fewer mental health problems 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 going to be in 2024 in a situation that's not the same as it was before the pandemic,” STM Board Chairman Eric Alan Caldwell said Wednesday. “There is an increase in reports. Our network is seeing an increase in vulnerable clients, addiction issues, mental health. We are concerned about the loyalty of our customers,” he said. “We don't want to take our customers for granted.”

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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 metro 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 at the bottom 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.”

Target 10 stations:

• Lionel-Groulks
• In the water
• Beauty
• Papineau
• Frontenac
• Joliet
• Bonaventure
• Mont Royal
• Jean-Talon
• Jarry

Station 11, the Berry-UQAM transit hub, already provides regular security.

Several subway riders admitted Wednesday 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, of the Bonaventure station. “We're not there yet, but if we keep this up…”

Frédéric Beneteau, 20, admits to the discomfort some riders have with vulnerable people who may behave in ways they don't expect. “But where are you going to put these people if not on the subway?” he asked. “That's my question.”

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