Lionel Dematos, Pascale Lessard, Pierre-Michel Desjardins, Sylvain Chevalier, Serge Gaignard and Jean-François Rousselle.
(TLN) Officials with the City of Laval have confirmed they have ratified a new collective agreement with the police force, which they say will lead to the improvement of services for citizens by allowing for better public security.
A restructuring of staff, creation of new policing units, construction of a new station in western Laval and a major increase in the number of patrol hours are just a few examples of new measures to be implemented following completion of the agreement.
A key agreement
The agreement was signed at city hall during gathering attended by the city’s director-general Jacques A. Ulysse, police chief Pierre Brochet, Police Brotherhood president André Potvin and Mayor Marc Demers.
“Signing the 2019-2023 collective agreement was part of an ongoing improvement process for services to citizens and goes together with work accomplished in efficient, transparent and responsive management,” said Mayor Demers.
Revised police plan
The city’s plans for police and public security calls for Laval to be divided into two areas (east and west), in order to improve response times for emergency calls. The city hopes to save up to 20,000 hours of work time, which in turn are to be rescheduled for police patrols. The new police station is on schedule for completion in three years.
Following the redeployment of police staff, new dedicated policing units will be created to address specific needs. Azimut, a new proactive squadron dedicated to combating criminality and incivility while improving road security in neighborhoods, will use up to 40,000 hours of manpower for patrols.
Innovative approach
Also, a new Prevention squad (to deal with fraud, thefts, violent acts, road safety, etc.) will use an innovative new approach in neighborhoods by working more closely and in conjunction with local communities. As well, the Laval Police Department’s sexual assault squadron will investigate sexually-oriented incidents (assaults, sexual exploitation, child pornography).
Other significant measures that will be included in the revision include improvements in investigating morality/drug and gang-related incidents (which often involve organized crime), deployment of the force’s new 24-hour CIVO operational surveillance centre, and new round-the-clock patrol units for quick response to emergencies.
