Montreal’s central Ville-Marie district will deploy private security guards in some neighborhoods as part of a pilot project aimed at addressing the rise of drugs and other criminal activity.

These guards will patrol three high-crime neighborhoods to observe activities such as drug trafficking and use, incivility and harassment. But instead of intervening directly, they will share their observations with the police and the city’s social intervention teams.

This comes as merchants, residents and visitors to sectors such as the Village and Chinatown continue to raise safety concerns.

The $120,000 pilot project will place Sirco private security officers in these areas, along with Old Montreal. The agents will work both in uniform and in plain clothes.

“There is a lot of pressure on the Ville-Marie district – a significant presence of criminal activity – and it is important for us to add another tool,” said Ville-Marie city councilor Robert Beaudry.

The level of crime has increased since the pandemic, he said, and the city must take action. Police have been doing what they can and there have been some improvements, but more tools are needed, he added.

Complaints in these neighborhoods have been in the news in recent years. Last year, a group of business owners and longtime Chinatown residents said they wanted the city and police to develop a crime prevention plan with the community after the neighborhood experienced an increase in violence and vandalism.

Also last year, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced a plan to revitalize the Village that included adding 40 police officers to the area and expanding the hours of mobile social workers so they can provide care to the neighborhood’s vulnerable population. all day.

That announcement came after several business owners along Ste-Catherine Street decided to close their terraces for safety reasons.

People already observe and report, says a resident

Since the pandemic, people who live and work in the Village said there has been an influx of people walking the streets, often with addictions and mental illnesses.

But observing and reporting crimes is something residents are already doing, according to Phil Chu, president of the Chinatown Residents Association.

“There’s not a day that I don’t witness a drug transaction or someone smoking crack,” he said. “It’s normal now, unfortunately.”

He said they’ll take all the help they can get, “but it seems a little redundant.”

Guards will also be on the lookout for homeless encampments, with the goal of connecting homeless people to available city resources.

James Hughes, president of the Old Brewery Mission, supports the project to potentially improve safety, but emphasizes that it should avoid targeting the homeless population.

“Even if there are crimes such as loitering or living in public spaces, they should not be treated as criminal activities,” he said.

The project will run until mid-December, after which the municipality will evaluate its effectiveness.

Montreal suburbs now have security officers

Some Montreal suburbs already have their own security officers, in addition to relying on police patrols. City of Montreal Police Service (SPVM).

For example, the Westmount Public Safety Department enforces municipal bylaws, provides support services to the Montreal Fire Department, and patrols the municipality 24 hours a day.

All Westmount officers are trained in advanced first aid, CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

They are also equipped and trained to use an expandable police baton, as well as pressure point tactics, according to Westmount’s website.

Hampstead, the city of Mount Royal and Côte Saint-Luc have similar departments. Côte Saint-Luc also has a program called Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOP) that has existed since 2006. In that case, volunteers patrol the city to observe and report any suspicious activity or problems.