Is Montreal abandoning neighbourhood police stations? Elected officials want to know

With a major police station on the chopping block in Montreal's west end, city officials are asking the police service's top brass how community policing will be maintained with 19 fewer stations than two decades ago.

The Montreal police service (SPVM) adopted the community policing philosophy in 1995. Its aim was to be more proactive, identifying and solving problems at the neighbourhood level by developing partnerships with local organizations and being more present in the community.

By 1998, there were 49 neighbourhood stations in Montreal. Now there are 31.

The latest to get the axe is Notre-Dame-de-Grâce's Station 11 on Somerled Avenue, set to close this fall. The 78 officers who work there will be moved to Station 9 on Westminster Avenue in Côte Saint-Luc in an effort "to optimize service," the SPVM has said.

Coun. Rosannie Filato, the Montreal executive committee member in charge of public security, said she recognizes there are some benefits to consolidating services. For example, it's allowed the SPVM to increase its number of patrols.

"But we do understand that citizens are worried," she said. 

"All the services are going to be maintained and, what we would like is an increase in services as well. So, having more community based approaches from the SPVM." 

She said Montreal will hold a public forum for residents to ask questions and learn more about the situation. She said the public security committee could look into the matter, but all of its members must agree and then choose a date.

Coun. Alex Norris, chair of the committee, said he is open to the idea of exploring the issue, but "we have already laid out a very full and ambitious schedule for the year."

Regardless of if or when the public forum is held, SPVM spokesperson Insp. André Durocher said the police service is "absolutely not" abandoning its community policing model, but any model needs to be adjusted over time as technology and communities evolve.

Regarding the most recent decision to shutter Station 11, Durocher said service will not be reduced. He said the community will benefit from having a larger contingent of officers under one commander.

When Outremont's Station 24 was moved to Station 26 in Côte-des-Neiges last year, he said, response time actually improved.

And officers will have a stronger presence in the community because there will be more of them out on patrol, he said. Community policing is a philosphy, not a brick-and-mortar location, he said.

However, neither NDG community groups nor elected officials are convinced that closing neighbourhood stations will improve service.

One station for 170,000 residents

Last Friday, in a letter also signed by opposition councillors Lionel Perez and Marvin Rotrand, Côte-des-Neiges—NDG borough Mayor Sue Montgomery called on Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and the public security committee to look into the matter.

"We consider the consolidation of neighbourhood stations to be an abandonment of the innovative community policing model," that letter said.

"We demand that you ask the police to reconsider the decision to close the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood Station 11."

The closure, the letter said, would leave a borough of roughly 170,000 residents with only one police station and "have an immediate impact on the way police services are provided."

More than 1,000 sign petition

The NDG Community Council, a non-profit group, launched a petition against the closure over the weekend that attracted more than 1,000 signatures in less than 48 hours. 

The president of that council, Andrew Ross, said even if the SPVM promises to increase patrols, residents feel they are losing out.

"You're actually breaking connections with different community organizations, and you are actually making it so people feel that they don't have a connection with their own police department," he said.

"That is something that we feel is crucial to maintaining a good quality of life in NDG."

People throughout NDG are furious that Station 11's services will be moved 2.5 kilometres away, said Halah Al-Ubaidi, the community council's executive director.

She often walks from her office to Station 11 to meet officers there and introduce them to residents, especially new immigrants, in an effort to build trust and understanding. 

Station commanders and officers also attend community events and meetings regularly, she said.

Station 9 has traditionally covered Cote Saint-Luc, Hampstead and Montreal West — three suburban municipalities that are vastly different than NDG, said Al-Ubaidi.

She said there's not even reliable bus service from NDG to Station 9.

"I don't know how people will get there," she said. "The worst part is, there was no public consultation. Nobody was told. No notification at all."

Projet Montréal hasn't taken a strong stance on Station 11's closure, instead insisting elected officials need more information before drawing a line in the sand.

The SPVM will meet with the borough soon to discuss the matter, Coun. Christian Arseneault, who represents NDG's Loyola district, said in a public Facebook post on Saturday.

"Our neighbourhood police station is of huge importance to our community," he wrote. "We cannot accept its departure without first being convinced such a move will improve public security and benefit the residents of CDN-NDG."