Interim Montreal police chief presents plans to overhaul troubled police service

Theinterimchief ofMontreal's police force,MartinPrud'homme,has cut by half the number ofassistant directors on the SPVM a measure he says will help make the police service more transparent and change its closed culture.

At the first public meeting of the City of Montreal's public security committee, Prud'hommesaid he could nowconfirm the troubling findings about the SPVMcontainedin the Bouchardreport, released in Decemberspecifically, the lack of transparency and poor organization in the internal affairs department, and the resulting lack of trust within the police service.

"We will be accountable to the public. We will answer questions. We will have numbers,"Prud'hommesaid.

"We'll be able to tell you what happened with each investigation. You'll have way more answers than you're accustomed to having."

Prud'hommetook over the top job at theSPVMafter former chiefPhilippePichetwas suspended in December.

He promised new measures will be put in place in the next few weeks.

Hepresented a plan Tuesday, which includes:

• Simplifyingthe SPVMstructure to facilitate communication.
• Issuinga complete review of the internal affairs department.
• Makingthecandidate selection process more transparent.
• Reviewing the workplace climate.
• Establishing the ideal profile for the next chief of police.

Prud'homme, on a one-year leave from his post asthe head of the Sret du Qubec,said he'salready started working toward these goals by reducing the number of upper management positions: eight assistant director positions have been reduced to four.

An internal messaging system has also been set up, andPrud'homme said he's received 165 messages so far.

• Montreal police Chief Philippe Pichet suspended, replaced by SQ director

Monthly meetings now open to public

Alex Norris, chair of the City of Montreal's public security committeeand city councillor for Projet Montral, said the new administrationwants to fulfil its campaign promise of introducinga new era of transparency when it comes to overseeingits police and fire departments.

He's confidentPrud'hommewill succeed with this overhaul.

"I'm convinced that he's taking the situation really seriously in an incredible, rigorous way," Norris said Tuesday.

He believes a culture of secrecy is at the root of the force's problems.

"In general, the public security commission has held its meetings behind closed doors," Norris told CBC Daybreak earlier in the day. "We're changing that."

Beginning Tuesday, anyone from the public can question police and fire department officials during the monthly meetings.

The committeeis developing its calendar and topics of discussion, which will include how police handle demonstrations and the use ofintermediate weapons such asrubber bullets and stun grenades.