Montreal's new police chief Fady Dagher reviews his first 100 days

Montreal's new police chief publicly reviewed his first 100 days on the job on Monday and said while he is pleased with what his department has achieved so far, he says there is still a long way to go.

Fady Dagher came into the role as the city was grappling with rising gun violence, one of the top three priorities he addressed at a news conference.

As a Lebanese Canadian, he reiterated that becoming closer to people and the city's diverse communities is high on his list of goals.

Dagher has already held 115 meetings with a variety of groups including racialized English-speaking groups and said he has no intention of slowing his pace.

He said that racial profiling exists within the Montreal force (SPVM) and that he's made it clear there is zero tolerance for racist behaviour and attitudes. He expects to soon start receiving monthly reports from each unit that address issues like profiling, racism and prejudice.

On the topic of fighting gun violence, Dagher said so far this year police have made 107 arrests in connection with firearms and seized nearly 250 weapons.

The age of some of the individuals arrested shocked him –-some were as young as 14 years old, he said.

The SPVM is working on prevention, he added, by speaking to parents and young children in schools. Officers are also cracking down on petty crimes like shoplifting.

"If there are no consequences during those years, 8, 10, 12, by 14,15, they say, 'What the hell, my friend has a gun to protect himself, well I'm going to have a gun to protect myself,'" said Dagher.

"So I think it starts from a young, young age, to be closer to those kids and get closer to the parents. Some [parents] say we can't anymore, we don't know what's going on. They're discouraged, so it's to give hope and help for the parents, and give them tools too."

LISTEN on CJAD 800 Radio: Montreal police chief Fady Dagher reflects on his first 100 days in service

The chief said he is also working to increase diversity in the force with incoming recruits. Starting in September they will have to take part in a four-week immersive experience within the community to help them understand the realities on the ground and help foster trust between all parties.

The head of the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations said the new chief appears to be on the right track.

"A sense of very authentic engagement, to work together with people, and to reduce problems from racial profiling to gun violence," said For Niemi, adding, "it's quite a change from what we've seen with previous chiefs."

But some, like Tari Ajadi, who teaches political science at McGill University, aren't convinced that the community approaches will work.

"There's a bit of a kind of falsehood in the idea that it's just the fact that the police need to be softer and gentler that we'll all of the sudden change the conditions on the ground. In fact, every time we see the police are maybe softer and gentler it comes kind of with a fist in a velvet glove, so to speak," Ajadi said when asked about Dagher's assessment.

Dagher said he said he is aware that some Montrealers are calling for more funding for community groups and less of a police approach. He agreed that many groups are indeed underfunded.

At the same time, however, Montreal's executive committee just signed off on a new collective agreement with the SPVM, which includes a 20 per cent pay increase over 5 years. The salariesfor new officers are expected to increase by nearly 30 per cent, after the agreement is formally approved by the city council later in the summer.

Dagher said he hopes that helps more officers be able to afford to live in Montreal. He estimated only 10-15 per cent of officers currently live on the island.

He's also calling on retired officers to return to the SPVM to help address the labour shortage since many are still young, with flexible schedules allowing them to choose from among a variety of posts and even work just a few days a week if they wish.