Police disengagement an issue in Quebec

According to a study conducted by the Centre de recherche et de développement stratégique of the École nationale de police du Québec, police disengagement, leading police officers to withdraw or completely abstain from interventions where they should get involved, is an issue in the province.

Reduced interest in the profession, lack of motivation and feeling discouraged were among the feelings shared by officers who participated in the study.

Those states of mind result in a decrease in effort, and hesitation to intervene, which sometimes leads to not intervening at all and sometimes to “looking to the left when things are going right”, the study explains.

Five causes were frequently mentioned regarding police disengagement:

Fear of repercussions or consequences;

Public criticism and lack of knowledge about policing;

Lack of organizational support; Media sensationalism;

Perceived sense of injustice.

The objectives of the study, which began in January 2021, are to document the existence of the phenomenon of police disengagement in Quebec and to identify its causes.

A call was made to all Quebec police officers to recruit participants. Some 186 Quebec police officers responded to the call and 21 of them were randomly selected for interviews.

In January 2022, an online questionnaire will be launched among the Quebec police community to validate the major findings obtained during the first phase of the study.

According to the study’s conclusions, the École nationale de police du Québec will improve its training in an effort to raise awareness of the phenomenon, implement prevention strategies and develop support mechanisms.