No quick reduction of Quebec’s police forces or new reforms to anti-corruption unit

Quebec’s public security minister says the government won’t immediately reduce the number of police forces in the province or integrate the anti-corruption unit into a larger cybercrime squad.

Geneviève Guilbault is responding to a nearly 500-page report released Tuesday that found Quebec’s police forces have failed to adapt to the realities of modern police work, which increasingly involves cases tied to mental illness and cybercrime.

Guilbault told reporters today the report’s recommendation to reduce the number of police forces to 13 from 31 would be part of a longer-term reflection.

She says the government also wants to wait and see if recent reforms to the anti-corruption unit will help that police force be more effective, before considering more changes.

Guilbault, however, says the province will move quickly to implement other recommendations, including having police forces form partnerships with community groups.

The five-member policing committee created at the behest of Guilbault found that the basic police model as defined in the province’s Police Act “no longer reflects the reality on the ground or the expected role of the police services.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2021.

The Canadian Press