The chief of the Service de police de la ville de Montreal, Montreal’s police force, will release details of a plan to try to restore public confidence in the scandal-plagued force on Friday.
Last month, Quebec Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux asked the chief, Philippe Pichet, to come up with a plan following a series of scandals involving the force’s internal affairs division.
The scandals became public after a number of former officers came forward to allege that internal affairs had fabricated evidence in efforts to silence whistleblowers who tried to expose police corruption.
That prompted an investigation by the Surete du Quebec and the deputy director of the Montreal force being relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the investigation.
Pichet submitted his plan to Coiteux last week.
On Sunday, the minister expressed his support for the plan, as did Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.
“There are elements within it that will change the culture (of the SPVM),” Coderre said.
“More and more we are seeing that there were clans from the past. We had to shine a light on that.”
Coiteux and Coderre’s support amounted to a vote of confidence for Pichet, who has been the subject of criticism by municipal and provincial politicians since he was appointed in 2015.
The allegations against internal affairs is the second controversy to hit the force in recent months.
Last fall, it came to light that Montreal police sought to monitor conversations of some journalists.
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