Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed on Tuesday that station 11 in the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough will close and integrate into station 9 in Côte Saint-Luc later this year.
Police spokesperson André Durocher said the integration of both police stations is strictly for operational, not financial, purposes, saying the goal is to form a greater “critical mass.”
He added that the move will not result in the loss of any officers.
SPVM officials have been meeting with elected officials and civil servants in the affected boroughs for the past several weeks to inform them of the plan, which Durocher said will take effect sometime between end of summer and early fall.
On Thursday, Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein sounded the alarm about the news, saying he worries a merger could lead to a drop in services.
“Our concern would be that more police officers would be taken out of our city to go to the higher-crime areas in NDG,” Brownstein said.
Côte-des-Neiges—Nôtre-Dame-de-Grâce mayor Sue Montgomery said on Tuesday she was disappointed to learn of the closure of the station in her borough. “Policing is an essential service in our community. In order to build strong community relations, police officers need to be present and know our community.”
She added that station 11 has been “breaking barriers and building trust with residents of NDG, especially newcomers.”
The police force said that more officers will be out on the road patrolling and fewer will be in the office. The exact date of the move or where the integrated station will be located in Côte Saint-Luc are still unconfirmed.
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