MONTREAL – The Montreal police officers’ union estimates the cost of calling on specially trained cops for the recent student protests at $2.5 million to $3 million so far – and fears the city will cut police services again to pay for it.
“The city could order cuts to investigations, which would directly impact services to citizens,” said Yves Francoeur, president of the Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal.
“It could mean even longer waits for theft victims,” he said, adding Mayor Gérald Tremblay could order cuts as soon as this summer to make up for the costs of the protests.
The intervention unit, specially trained in last-resort crowd dispersal techniques, has been called upon 150 times during the 11 weeks of student protests.
Martine Painchaud, a spokesperson for Tremblay, said the total cost of policing required during the protests has yet to be determined, but the mayor put “Montrealers’ safety as the top priority” and city hall expects there will be a price tag. “We know costs have mounted and that the city’s budget is limited.
“We are once again calling on the Quebec government to provide a premium to Montreal of $35 million a year to pay for police costs” for dealing with Montreal-specific “Level 5” events, including riots, homelessness and battling terrorism.
Get breaking National news
Montreal is the only city in Quebec to have a police force ready to deal with “Level 5 events,” she noted. A meeting between the mayor and Quebec Public Safety Minister Robert Dutil should take place within weeks, she added.
In 2009 and 2010, the city imposed $35 million in cuts to the police budget, which was $588 million in 2010.
Francoeur said the 220 police officers on the four regional intervention squads are proud of their work.
“They are ready to defend their city” if the protests continue, he said, although the two-day truce agreed to on Monday should provide a welcome respite for the officers. Some worked 20-hour days.
“There is definitely some fatigue, we won’t lie,” Francoeur said. “It’s especially tough on the personal side, making adjustments with their spouses about being there for their kids and picking them up from daycare and things like that.”
On Friday, some intervention cops worked 16 hours straight, and six police officers were injured as police faced off against protesters pelting rocks, road flares and billiard balls at them near the Palais des congrès.
Cops responded with smoke bombs, tear gas and batons.
The extra cost of deploying the intervention squads has been “in the millions of dollars,” Montreal police Chief Marc Parent told radio host Paul Arcand Monday. And while the exact cost may not be known for months, the absence of the intervention cops from the neighbourhood police stations – where they are otherwise stationed – was felt immediately.
“They can’t be in two places at once,” said Police Chief Inspector Alain Bourdages.
Friday was one of the toughest days on the officers, he added. Bourdages, a police officer for 30 years, said he has rarely seen such a concerted, sustained assault on the police.
“The protesters regrouped and came back three and four times. In terms of what they threw at us, it was malicious.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.