Quebec minister suspends Montreal’s police chief
MONTREAL — Quebec’s public security minister suspended the Montreal police chief on Wednesday after a damning report criticized Philippe Pichet’s inability to restore public faith in the much-maligned force.
Pichet, who was appointed to the top job in 2015, will be replaced by Martin Prud’homme, head of the Quebec provincial police.
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux said he had no choice but to suspend Pichet, given a report he received last week into the inner workings of the Montreal police department.
In his report, Michel Bouchard spoke of a “deep malaise” and said the “confidence of civil and police personnel in the police leadership is at an extremely worrying level.”
Coiteux said even though many of the problems mentioned by Bouchard predated Pichet’s arrival, he concluded that the police chief had not taken the necessary steps despite “the gravity of the situation.”
“As well, certain points directly involved the current director,” Coiteux said. “Much of what Mr. Bouchard heard reflected a lack of confidence in Mr. Pichet to bring about considerable changes in the Montreal police force.
“Mr. Bouchard expresses serious doubts about Mr. Pichet’s capacity to remedy the situation. In light of this, I consider that public interest and the healthy management of justice call for his suspension.”
Prud’homme’s mandate expires on Dec. 31, 2018, when he will return to the provincial force.
Pichet’s tenure was marked by several controversies, including a spying scandal targeting journalists that led to a public inquiry.
In October, the provincial police raided Montreal police headquarters in a case involving alleged fraud and breach of trust, resulting in Pichet’s chief of staff being suspended.
Pichet said at the time an investigation into Imad Sawaya had taken place in 2015 amid allegations regarding overtime and bonuses, but that the accusations were not substantiated.
In March, Pichet said it could take between five and 10 years to bring about a change to the internal culture within the embattled force.
Bouchard, who previously worked in the federal and Quebec justice departments, was asked last March to investigate allegations of “systemic issues” within the Montreal force, particularly regarding internal investigations.
Two former organized-crime investigators for the force said members of its internal affairs department had embellished or fabricated evidence against lower-ranking officers.