New squad to join fight against firearms trafficking

Montreal police will set up a 20-member squad to combat trafficking in firearms, Mayor Valérie Plante announced Thursday.

The specialized squad will be operational by the end of January, Plante said at a joint news conference at city hall with police chief Sylvain Caron.

While Montreal is a safe city, there has been a worrisome increase in incidents involving firearms in recent months, she said.

Caron said there has been an “atypical rise” in gun crimes since June. For example, on Nov. 29, four shootings in five hours left three men wounded in northeast Montreal.

The cost of the new squad, estimated at $2.5 million to $3 million, will be covered by the force's existing budget, he said.

Heidi Rathjen, co-ordinator of Polysesouvient, representing graduates and students at the Polytechnique where 14 women were murdered on Dec. 6, 1989, welcomed the initiative.

Tackling “gun trafficking is part and parcel of effective gun control,” she said.

“The increase in gun crimes in the Montreal area is very worrisome, and the creation of this special unit represents an investment into a safer future for all Montrealers,” she added.

Rathjen also urged police to move forward on a unanimous resolution last year by Montreal city council calling on police to compile and make public data on the sources of guns used in crimes, both legal and illegal.

Montreal opposition leader Lionel Perez also hailed the initiative, calling the recent rise in gun crimes alarming.

In October, the Quebec government announced a plan to step up its fight against firearms trafficking and criminal groups during the next three years by providing extra funding for police in Montreal and Quebec City, as well as the Sûreté du Québec.

Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said four specialized squads within the three forces would share $27 million in funding from the federal Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence. Another $32.5 million in similar financing was announced in the provincial budget last March.

Ten days ago, Montreal police, regional police and the RCMP arrested an alleged arms dealer in Varennes on the South Shore, seizing 89 firearms, magazines and ammunition as well as prohibited crossbows.

In October, Montreal police arrested 12 people who were allegedly involved in a gun- and drug-trafficking network and seized six firearms, as well as drugs.