Interim chief hails improved climate at SPVM
It’s been a long, intense year for interim Montreal police chief Martin Prud’homme, and it’s not over yet. Prud’homme, director of the Sûreté du Québec, took over the Montreal force temporarily last December after a devastating report into conditions there. His mandate ends at the end of December, when he will return to the SQ. On Tuesday, Prud’homme’s final report was made public, including recommendations on his successor at the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM). Prud’homme spoke to the Montreal Gazette Tuesday evening.
Q What do you consider the greatest changes you have made to the SPVM?
A My No. 1 goal was restoring the public’s confidence in the police department and restoring our employees’ trust in management If you compare the situation now to November 2017, you can see that we are light years ahead. The atmosphere has completely changed. All the issues of feuds, bickering between different groups, cliques, are gone.
Q What measures have been most effective in bringing about those changes?
A For starters, relations with the media. The media is the public. We work for the public. There is no reason that we cannot be transparent, that we cannot answer all the questions you ask us. The only exception is for police operations. Secondly, reducing my management team from 11 to four deputy directors.
Q What are the most pressing issues that remain?
A First, to appoint my successor. Secondly, to identify and cultivate the next generation of leaders.
Q Your report notes that many of your detectives don’t have the required training. What are you doing about it?
A If you want to be an investigator, you have to undergo training. I don’t think this affects their daily work because these are people who have a lot of experience, but we need to improve. The law requires basic training and we must correct this.
Q You propose a mixed squad to investigate criminal allegations against police. Wouldn’t this take away from the responsibilities of the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes?
A I believe in the Bureau des enquêtes indépendants. Police law requires police organizations to carry out investigations into criminal allegations. What I’m saying is that if we must resume our investigations because the law requires us to, the SPVM cannot do them alone.
Q Letters by the BEI made public this week said some police officers are not respecting the rules investigating police shootings.
A For decades these investigations were done by the SQ and the SPVM. I think it’s a question of adjusting to the rules and I have not seen any evidence of bad faith. I think the situation has been largely resolved.