Faced with the explosion in the number of incidents involving firearms, the Quebec government is granting $4.05 million over three years to the SPVM to establish an intervention project in collaboration with schools and community.
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The investment is part of Operation CENTAURE, the Quebec Strategy to Combat Armed Violence. It will allow the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to intervene in secondary schools located on Montréal territory where needs have been identified.
The aim is to prevent violence among young people. Through the project, the SPVM will also be able to act with adolescents who are in possession of firearms or who are taking steps to acquire them.
“Unfortunately, in the current context, some young people experience and commit acts of violence. I am convinced that the upstream intervention, prevention and awareness measures that we are deploying with young people will make it possible to avoid adding to the already too long list of victims of armed violence, ”said Geneviève Guilbault in a press release. Minister of Public Security.
On Tuesday, the SPVM presented its annual report for 2021. During the year, the police had listed 144 discharges of firearms on the island, or one every two and a half days. Homicides were also up 40% from the year 2020.
