Chief, officers hold emergency meeting
Pichet says he has not been asked to resign over whistleblower allegations
Montreal Police Chief Philippe Pichet held an emergency meeting with dozens of his senior officers Saturday to address the investigations that have been ordered by Quebec Public Security Minister Marin Coiteux into the police force.
The meeting was held at a recently built Montreal police training centre on Sherbrooke St. E. Pichet told reporters he has not been asked to resign, and he has no intention of doing so.
“Mr. Coiteux just asked me for an action plan. I’m the chief. I’m in the boat. I won’t jump the ship. I’ll stay here,” he said.
On Friday, Coiteux said he will significantly expand the investigation that was requested by Pichet on Tuesday after TVA aired interviews with three former members of the Montreal police who alleged they were victims of false allegations generated by its internal affairs department.
Pichet had requested that the Sûreté du Québec investigate the allegations. But on Friday, Coiteux revealed he had received several other allegations and expanded the investigation to include investigators from the RCMP and other police forces. The broadened investigation will be co-directed by SQ assistant director general Yves Morency and Madeleine Giauque, the head of the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), an independent police-oversight agency set up in 2013.
The minister also announced that he will name a special commissioner to lead the administrative investigation into the SPVM’s internal affairs.