Organization

The SPVM is the second largest municipal police force in Canada. It serves the entire Island of Montréal, which is an area of 496 km², which, in 2012, had 1,981,672 Montréal residents.

There are more than 6000 civilian employees and police officers working together to respond to the safety needs of the public. The SPVM are first-line responders with the community. Their responsibilities are:

• Protect the lives and property of citizens
• Maintain peace and public safety
• Prevent and combat crime
• Enforce the laws and regulations in effect

+ To find out more about SPVM police officers, go to the section Discover police work.

The policing model adopted by the department, the neighbourhood police, is based on community police principles and places the public at the centre of its organization.

Local police stations (PDQ) are the first responders for public safety. They provide basic services to the local population that they serve.

Twenty nine local police stations (PDQ) are located over the Montréal area to serve the public. Each local station reports into one of the four community services: North, South, East and West divisions. The four management have full responsibility, autonomy and are able to provide better control and follow-up of the activities in their areas. The regional management teams are located in the operational centres. They also have investigation, detention, intervention, analysis and prevention units serving the local stations in the division. In order to carry out their activities and meet their mandate, the local police stations may also rely on support from the Specialized investigation service (SES) as well as a number of administrative departments.

+ To find out more about the local police station in your area : Neighbourhood police.