Montreal police looking to target unsolved homicides, tackle cohabitation issues in 2025

Montreal police report a 19 per cent drop in gun violence in 2024 but warn of rising challenges with homelessness, mental health, and drug-related crime.

Three months into 2025, the Montreal police service (SPVM) said its priority for the year is targeting unsolved homicides by adding 10 new investigators.

On Thursday, police chief Fady Dagher presented a year-in-review Thursday for 2024, taking stock of the successes in the previous year and where the police force is looking for improvements.

The 2025 action plan seeks to raise the resolution rate for homicides, which was 81 per cent last year with 26 of the 32 homicides resulting in arrests.

According to police, gun violence has dropped by 47 per cent since the peak in 2021. There was also a 19 per cent decrease in attempted murders and firearm discharges, the SPVM said.

Overdoses skyrocketed

Police say the number of fatal overdoses reported in 2024 increased 52 per cent.

Montreal Centre-Ville executive director Glenn Castanheira says people using drugs on the street are becoming violent, unpredictable and committing petty crimes.

“New drugs have entered the market and have really transformed the behaviour of a lot of our unhoused population and rendered what was a well-balanced cohabitation virtually impossible,” he said.

Castanheira says he cannot underestimate the risk this represents to the downtown economy.

Dagher said cohabitation issues are more of a mandate for the health system than the police force.

“We are not well-equipped. We are trying to be, not because we want to, not because it’s our duty, but because this is who they [call] at 2:00 in the morning,” he said at a press conference.

Adding new police officers

The police service said the Multi-Sector Firearms Teams (EMAF) were also “enhanced and made sustainable” and improved by adding eight permanent prevention officers.

Efforts to beef up its rank and file also seem to be bearing fruit, with a surplus of 147 permanent police officers — “the largest increase in the last five years.”

The SPVM said 328 police officers have been hired as of Dec. 31, 2024.

“For a second consecutive year, the SPVM is experiencing growth in its workforce. It should be noted that one in four people hired is from a diverse background, and women represent 42% of those hired.”

The opposition at Montreal City Hall said the numbers are reassuring, but insecurity problems persist on the street and in the public transit network.

“The workload of police officers, who have had to juggle a staffing shortage for too long and an overwhelming responsibility, particularly in the area of ​​homelessness, remains untenable,” said Abdelhaq Sari, Ensemble Montreal’s public safety critic.

With files from Noovo Info