The future of suspended Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet is up in the air after a second report was released pointing to major problems in the force under his leadership.
The report, which was given to Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux last month and released to the public on Monday, was authored by Martin Prud’Homme, who was given the title of SPVM chief after Pichet was suspended in December.
Prud’Homme, who previously served as the chief of the Surete du Quebec, described a “crisis of confidence” within the SPVM during Pichet’s tenure, one that affected both police officers and the public.
Despite Pichet being aware of problems in the SPVM’s internal investigations unit, “few important changes were made to control the situation and ensure the proper management of the unit,” Prud’Homme concluded.
Prud’Homme also took his predecessor to task for not assuring the public about the police force’s integrity.
Coiteux said he made the report public because Montrealers deserve to know what’s happening in their force and added that he’s asked Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante to get the opinion of city council and the public security committee on Pichet’s situation.
Under articles in the Police Act and the Montreal city charter, the public security minister needs the okay from both those bodies to move ahead with permanently removing Pichet.
Pichet was initially suspended following the release of another report, written in the wake of numerous scandals involving police spying on journalists and a raid on headquarters by provincial police in a case regarding fraud and breach of trust.
Last month, Pichet stated his desire to get his job back and announced his intention to sue the City of Montreal, the public security minister and the Quebec government because of how his suspension was handled.
