New police squad to lead crackdown on Quebec pimps
Province also intends to target ‘clients’ in bid to stamp out sexual exploitation
Quebec intends to fight sexual exploitation by targeting both pimps and clients.
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux announced Friday the creation of an integrated team to combat sexual exploitation that will be made up of 25 investigators from various police forces.
“Life is going to be extremely difficult for pimps in Quebec in the coming years,” Coiteux said at a news conference.
As for clients, Coiteux invoked the concept of supply-demand economics to explain why they will suddenly become more present in the crosshairs of police officers.
“We have to attack the problem from every angle,” he said. “One way is to go after those who directly exploit or constrain these people, or to go after the clients, because we can’t exclude the idea of working on the aspect of demand.”
The 25 officers will come from police forces in Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil, Gatineau, the Sûreté du Québec and the RCMP.
The headquarters of the new unit, which will be headed by the Montreal police force, will be in Montreal, but it will also have offices in Quebec City and Gatineau.
The mixed makeup of the squad is designed to make it easier to work with local police squads across the province, as well as other areas in Canada, and even internationally.
Quebec is investing $6.4 million over five years, but the budget will swell to $12 million with additional funds provided by each police force involved.
Coiteux said he hopes Ottawa will press the issue with Bill C-38, new proposed legislation that’s intended to reduce the burden of proof required to prosecute pimps, exempt their victims from testifying and allow the seizure of goods acquired with the profits of crime.