Hate crimes targeting Muslim and Jewish communities up, but violent crime down in 2023: Montreal police

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After a surge in gun crimes in Montreal in 2022, Fady Dagher is proud the city was able to reduce the number of armed violent crimes by 26 per cent in 2023.

Police arrested 351 people in 2023 and seized 774 guns, a slight increase in the number of arrests and seizures from the previous year, but the Montreal police chief said it would be false to assume that officers’ actions alone caused the decrease in violent crime.

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“I don’t think this is only a police matter,” Dagher said. “I think the soccer coach, the community group, everyone has a role to play. Of course, our cops worked like crazy, but the community too. The social workers, the people on the field making the difference every day, we don’t talk about those people.”

Dagher said police have noted the number of incidents appear to be on the decline for now, but said it is too soon to say if that trend will continue in the months and years to come.

The decrease in violent crimes was a highlight for police in 2023, as they presented their annual report on Tuesday. Another high point was that recruitment efforts appear to finally be bearing fruit, as police reported a net increase in the force for the first time in five years.

A total of 362 police officers were hired over the course of the year, resulting in a net increase of 91 officers for a total of 4,580 officers. Roughly 20 per cent of new hires were considered to be from diverse communities, according to the report.

Police say the increase in the net number of officers is due in part to improved work conditions and support from partners, including the ministries of public security and higher education, who worked to put in place a satellite campus in Montreal of the Nicolet-based École nationale de police du Québec.

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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said 2023 marked what she called the “Montreal model” of public security, which includes the increased presence of social workers working with police as part of mixed squads, and civilian intervention workers as part of ÉMMIS, who work on mediation and cohabitation issues without necessarily calling in a police officer.

“It was a year that was marked by the hiring of Fady Dagher, but mostly by incredible teamwork,” Plante said.

The year 2023 was also marked by a spike in hate crimes and incidents, specifically targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities. In response, police increased their visibility around targeted institutions.

On Tuesday, Dagher said the visibility campaign, which cost nearly $2 million in overtime hours as of the end of December, was still in place, but the number of hours logged has diminished.

“The campaign is still going on, but it’s not as intense,” Dagher said. “The fear that people were going through was huge at the time. We’re continuing still, but trying to do it at the best moments. So maybe the quantity of time isn’t the same, but the quality is there.”

Police say the number of hate incidents targeting both communities appears to be returning back to the level it was at before the war between Israel and Hamas began last October.

Dagher said one negative in 2023 was the number of deaths and serious accidents on the road. He said police will step up their road safety efforts in 2024. That was music to Plante’s ears.

“The city has a part to play, too, in securing areas and installing speed bumps, but we have to embark on sensitization campaigns also with police,” Plante said.

jmagder@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jasonmagder

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