MONTREAL - Quebec and Montreal police are announcing the creation of a permanent mixed squad dedicated to investigating murders linked to organized crime.

Investigators from the Montreal police will work in the offices of the provincial police, and vice versa, in order to better share information.

Surete du Quebec spokesman Guy Lapointe said today similar partnerships in the past have proven successful.

Montreal police spokesman Andre Durocher says several recent murders linked to organized crime have occurred in the greater Montreal area, many in public places.

News reports have indicated high-level players in Mafia and Hells Angels crime circles have been murdered in 2019, suggesting a struggle for leadership in the province's underworld.

Neither police force has unblocked extra funds for the new squad.

- As reported in The Canadian Press on Nov. 6, 2019