Montreal police and the city’s transit authority are changing how policing is managed inside the metro system — tailoring emergency responses.
“We have different types of people within our network,” explained Jocelyn Latulippe, the transit authority’s security head. “It’s the type of social environment.”
Since the pandemic there are more people experiencing homelessness in the metro system. There have also been more reports of crime. Instead of having police officers respond to every call, authorities will adapt the type of response to the situation. Transport authority special constables will be responsible for non-criminal matters.
“Police officers are more concerned with criminality so anything related to, for example, organized crime or aggression,” Latulippe told reporters during a press conference when the announcement was made.
Transit constables can still intervene until police arrive. Police will be no longer be patrolling the metro, but people can still call 9-1-1 to report a concern. If the call is about someone who is in mental distress, whoever is first on scene they will contact the appropriate team.
“You have a mixed team composed of police officers, special constables and social workers,” Latulippe explained.
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If the person in distress needs medical help or aid finding resources like a shelter, that team can help find those resources.
In addition to these changes, starting in January, the city’s civilian mobile psychosocial intervention teams (ÉMMIS) will also be patrolling the metro taking care of vulnerable people before a situation becomes an emergency.
“We take care of them, we ask what their needs are and we make sure they are referred to any services,” explained the city’s head of diversity and social inclusion, Ramana Zanfongnon.
Those who advocate for the vulnerable population such as the Welcome Hall Mission, Sam Watts, say the plan is good, but it’s still up to individual officers to respond appropriately.
“There is a tendency in these kinds of plans to have an us and them approach,” he told Global News. “So there’s all of us that need to be protected and then there’s them who we need protection from.”
Watts stresses that the metro is for everyone.