Assaults against police in Quebec rose 9% in 2022, says association

A police officer crosses police tape near Mont Cascades water park in Cantley, Que. on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. A police operation is underway at Mont Cascades, a water park in western Quebec, after someone allegedly pointed what appeared to be a gun at an employee. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Nearly 2,300 assaults were committed against Quebec police officers in 2022, the police directors' association (ADPQ) estimates, an increase of nine percent from the previous year.

The Association des Directeurs de Police du Québec reports at least 2,286 assaults in 2022; that's 205 more assaults than in 2021 (2081) and 191 more than in 2020 (2095).

The majority of the 2022 assaults occurred in Montreal (581).

"Although there is a margin of error in compiling these statistics, ADPQ confirms that this figure represents the minimum number of assaults against police officers in 2022," reads a Friday press release from the organization, which represents law enforcement leaders from across the province, including the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

The ADPQ believes the rise in assaults is linked to an "increase in armed violence and vulnerable clienteles," as well as the "trivialization of violence on social networks" and the social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Programs such as the deployment of mixed teams of psychosocial and community police officers and enhancing the value of police work must continue to be funded by the government," said ADPQ director Didier Deramond.

BODY CAMERAS: A TWO-WAY SOLUTION?

Deramond also pointed to body cameras as an "interesting" prospect in combatting violence against police.

Usually promoted as a means to prevent violence the other way around, body cameras could also help protect the officers who wear them, he said.

"We believe that the long-awaited deployment of portable cameras, for citizens and police officers alike, represents an interesting solution."

The Montreal police department (SPVM) and SQ both underwent body camera pilot projects in recent years, but the practice has yet to be officially adopted by either force.