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SPVM's 175th anniversary

In 2018, the SPVM is celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Montréal police.

As such, activities will be planned throughout the year, namely during Police Week, from May 13 to 19, 2018.

During the course of the year, you might see the four vehicles of the Heritage Fleet created specially for the occasion, patrolling the streets of Montréal. Keep your eyes open!

The photostory book 10-05 : en devoir depuis 175 ans, produced by a police officer of the SPVM, was launched on December 5 to mark this special year.

A little history

At the beginning of the colony, Montréal relied on the protection of French regime soldiers, then on various forms of civilian militias.

At the start of the 1800s, the presence of looters led to the creation of a body of watchmen, whose members patrolled the streets at night, turned on city lights and called out the hours. If everything was fine, they would call out “All is well,” earning these first Montréal “patrollers” the nickname of “bazouelles.”

Finally, in 1843, Montréal implemented a police force, and the very first version of the neighbourhood police officer was born.

The SPVM Heritage Fleet

On December 5, 2017, the SPVM unveiled its Heritage Fleet at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal as part of the “10-05 : en devoir depuis 175 ans” book launch.

The Heritage Fleet consists of four contemporary patrol vehicles decked out in four old police vehicle designs from the period spanning from 1931 to 1972. Marking 175 years of police presence in Montréal, these vehicles will be used at events throughout the 2018 anniversary year. The Heritage Fleet project was set up to pay tribute to police officers who have patrolled the streets throughout history. With the new look of these vehicles, we will draw everyone's attention to the legacy of the police officers who have worked in the city, and their 175 years of presence in the Montréal community.

These reproductions were made on recent, operational and fully-equipped 2017 Dodge Charger patrol vehicles. The replacement vehicles will be travelling the territory throughout the year, based on operational and promotional needs.

Be on the lookout for one of the Heritage Fleet vehicles in your neighbourhood.

1930 design

1950 design

1960 design

1970 design

New SPVM visual signature

The SPVM is highlighting the 175th anniversary of the Montréal police by bringing a positive wind of change to the uniforms and vehicles of Montréal police officers.

New shoulder patch

Larger and more visible, the new shoulder patch now bears the inscription “Depuis 1843,” thus highlighting the year of foundation of the first Montréal Police Department. The lay out and composition of the patch are designed to represent Montréal police officers and to be a distinctive visual signature to which they can relate.






New patrol car colors

The SPVM’s patrol cars now have increased visibility thanks to the new design of its vehicles, to which several high-contrast visual elements have been added. The contrasting colours and reflective strips create a more striking visual impact, improving the safety of police officers and road users. Blue, associated with the municipal police but in a shade exclusive to the SPVM, remains the dominant colour of patrol vehicles.

The SPVM unveiled the details of its new visual signature on June 20, 2018. Since vehicle and patch replacement is done by attrition, this change will not result in any additional cost to the organization’s projected budget.