Montreal Police Suspends Two Officers Over Allegations of Racist Behaviour

The Montreal Police Department (SPVM) says two of its officers have been suspended following allegations of “unacceptable” behaviour toward citizens, including discrimination and racism.

The SPVM said it suspended the two officers and relocated a team of officers from a neighbourhood in north Montreal on June 12, following allegations of “unacceptable actions and behaviour.”

The police force was informed of the allegations in March by SPVM employees, triggering an investigation to verify the accuracy of the claims, the SPVM said in a June 12 news release.

SPVM Chief Fady Dagher said at a June 12 press conference the two suspended officers are under investigation by the prosecutor’s office regarding possible violations of the Criminal Code, while 14 other officers were reassigned to duties that do not require contact with citizens involved in the investigation.

The alleged actions also breach the SPVM Code of Discipline and the Code of Police Ethics, Dagher noted.

“This includes alleged misconduct during a police intervention and alleged discrimination and racist behaviour towards citizens,” he said.

Among the allegations, several media outlets reported that officers allegedly cut the hair of certain citizens and turned it into “trophies.” Dagher indicated at the press conference that those reports made up part of the investigation.

He said that although the investigation is still ongoing, enough information has been gathered to justify the disciplinary actions taken.

“The SPVM reiterates that racism, discrimination, discriminatory, or otherwise unacceptable behaviour is not tolerated within the organization,” he said.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said in a June 12 post on X that Dagher informed her of the situation and she informed the province’s Minister of Public Security that the implementation of body cameras within the SPVM needs to be sped up.

Speaking at a June 13 press conference, Martinez Ferrada called the SPVM’s announcement “extremely troubling” and said she wants to speak directly with citizens and to anyone that has felt “targeted, watched, profiled, and unheard.”

Martinez Ferrada said the public security minister agreed to accelerate the deployment of body cameras within the police force, adding that body cameras will “strengthen transparency, provide greater context during police interactions, and protect both citizens and police officers.”

She said Montrealers deserve to know what happened in these incidents and she hopes the investigation into the officers’ alleged actions will achieve that.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette called the reported information “extremely concerning,” and said the alleged actions are “incompatible” with the values of respect and integrity guiding all police forces.

“It is essential that full light be shed quickly on this situation and that appropriate measures be applied,” she said in a June 12 social media post in French.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.