Private security guards to patrol Montreal's Chinatown, Village amid safety concerns

The city is enlisting private security guards to patrol Chinatown, the Village, and Old Montreal as part of a new strategy to tackle crime.

Phil Chu has lived in Chinatown for 11 years but now, he says he’s going to move his family out because crime has crossed a line.

"In broad daylight, drug transactions, [drug] consumption, public defecation, lewd acts — you name it and it’s pretty common now,” said Chu, president of an association of Chinatown residents.

The Ville-Marie borough is turning to security guards from private company Sirco to support Montreal police (SPVM) in neighbourhoods with more crime.

It’s in response to complaints by people like Chu, says city councillor Robert Beaudry.

"It’s for the visibility, for the feeling of security, but [also] to help acquire data," Beaudry said.

• Survey confirms Montreal residents still feel unsafe going to the Village

The $120,000 pilot project was launched in mid-October and will run for two months.

The city couldn’t confirm how many private guards were tasked with the job but told CTV News that some will be uniformed and others will be undercover in plain clothes. Some will be in vehicles and others on foot.

Their mandate includes monitoring mischief like drug use in parks and other public places and reporting homeless encampments to be dismantled. The guards will report to the borough’s social intervention teams and Montreal police who can then take action.

The SPVM declined CTV News' interview request.

"They need help and it’s a nimble way to help our services," according to Beaudry.

Chu says the community is already reporting problems to the police.

"It seems redundant but at the same point in time, I guess we’ll take whatever we can get right?"

The city says the success of the pilot project will determine whether this approach continues or the city increases police presence.