How can we rethink the police?

“The government has not proposed solutions that can meet the needs of Black communities, in particular to ensure that they feel secure,” said Pierreson Vaval, director of the community organization Équipe RDP, during a press conference held to announce the formation of a convoy against racial profiling.

The Quebec and Montreal Police Practice Guides were recently amended to incorporate new recommendations.

An initial public consultation by the Public Security Commission, which is responsible for studying issues relating to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and civil security, took place earlier this week. But those affected by racial profiling feel that the response from Montreal and Quebec City does not protect them against this type of discriminatory behavior and brutality. In the Canadian city with the largest number of police officers per capita, several are proposing solutions to correct this situation that has been going on for years.

The police force

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“The police have the right to use lethal force as much as they want,” said Desmond Cole, journalist and author of The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power. He notes that when someone is killed by police, it is most often someone who is Black, Indigenous, or someone with a mental health problem.

“The population is getting the message that these homicides are necessary, that they are deserved, or that the people shot were threatening the community,” he notes. In his opinion, the trivialization of this violence leads to police impunity.

“We know in advance that there will be no consequences, that police officers will not be punished for using excessive force, because it is their job to use that force,” he notes about the few convictions handed down as a result of cases of police brutality or racial profiling. Mr. Cole believes that this approach, which is intrinsically linked to the raison d'être of the police, cannot be reformed.

“Violence is not the answer, and police surveillance uses violence legally. We call the police to give them the ability to use it,” he said.

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Abolition

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Desmond Cole says he is in favor of defunding the police because, in his opinion, it is a measure that can lead to the abolition of police services. He explains his point of view: “You can't reform a legalized system of violence, you have to replace it,” he says.

“The police are a government that uses violence against us [Black and Aboriginal people], sometimes through the unfairness of its policies, sometimes through their negligence. That's what we need to focus on, rather than having an abstract conversation about how police are funded,” he said.

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Towards an unarmed police

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In terms of measures, Mr. Cole believes that police officers should at least give up their guns. “Some people are not given a bulletproof vest, a gun and a Taser so they can negotiate with people,” illustrates the author.

Several companies have police services that are not armed, especially in the United Kingdom, on the African continent and in several indigenous communities. Among other things, this model has been adopted by some police forces in Canada. For example, in Ontario, officers from the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (NAPS) — the largest Indigenous police entity in the country — are unarmed.

Since its founding 26 years ago, NAPS has shot and killed no one, and no agents have died in service, despite a critical shortage of resources. Mr. Cole says there is no lack of role models, but there is a lack of will. “Who are the police opening fire on here in Canada?” he asks. “Chantel Moore was shot dead during a so-called health check. Rodney Levi was killed. Deandre Campbell-Kelly called 911 for help; the police went home and shot him dead,” he said. Since Black and Indigenous communities are affected, Mr. Cole suggests that solutions take into account what they have to say.

The same is true for people who live with mental health problems, or who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and who represent the vast majority of individuals who are victims of police brutality. “You have to ask them the question,” he continues. These people are certainly not going to say, “I would like to be approached with a gun.” They are going to ask for support, for listening, for crisis de-escalation services, to be taken to the hospital if they are not feeling well.”

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Nonviolent intervention

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To resolve conflicts, Mr. Cole suggests an approach that does not use violence, such as methods already adopted by social services, medical personnel and education workers, among others. The author, who also works in a youth shelter, attests that his work does not require any weapons. “When I work in a shelter, I work with young people who are constantly stopped by the police.

The latter will tell you that these young people use drugs and carry guns — which is true for some of them. When they come to the center, and there is a conflict, I am not allowed to point a gun at them. I need to learn how to speak, how to use my voice, how to de-escalate the situation, and how to stand aside, which is less threatening. I need to be trained in this regard.”

Mr. Cole strongly believes that communication and de-escalation should be part of the police response methods and services that could replace it. “The mistake is asking why police officers are not being given this training,” he says. Their weapons must also be taken away.”

Desmond Cole, author of The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power Photo: Courtesy of Desmond Cole

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For a more humane police force

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Alain Babineau, an advisor on racial profiling and discrimination at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), believes in the reorganization of the police. He also believes that the police can change the way he intervenes. “It is clear that there is a lack of training when it comes to defusing situations or changing the way police approach people,” he admits.

In his experience, the module dealing with force and to which all police officers in North America refer addresses how a police officer should present himself and use his voice.

“Unfortunately, the way police communicate with people is often very aggressive and leads to confrontation. They're acting too fast. It doesn't make sense if communication is done in a more human way,” he explains.

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Change the policy instead of defunding it

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The former RCMP officer is proposing to review the role of the police in society. “I am asking that police officers be given tasks away from them,” he said. In particular, he cites non-criminal acts related to issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance use or poverty. “You cannot criminalize either of these social problems,” he says. It proposes that these tasks should no longer be the responsibility of the police services and that the necessary budgets should be devoted to the core responsibilities of the police, for example protection and prevention.

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Identify problems

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Alain Babineau is opposed to defunding the police and wants the funds claimed to be found elsewhere. “I suggest that the City look at all the services it offers to the population and reallocate the money to social services or mental health,” he declares. “Yes, it is good to inject funds into social services, but what effect does it have in terms of customer services? ” he asks before adding that 90% of the SPVM's budget is devoted to the salaries of its employees.

“The protection of vulnerable communities is not analyzed”, he pleads. As part of defunding, Mr. Babineau believes that police training, social programs and community services would be affected. Mr. Babineau criticises the provincial and municipal governments for not having conducted any consultations within the communities. He makes the same criticism of the instigators of the movement calling for the defunding of the police.

Last week, several members of black communities in the Montreal and Lanaudière regions appeared in front of François Legault's constituency office in L'Assomption. The convoy “Black Driving, Proud and Free” submitted a document with 10 recommendations to end racial profiling there. In particular, it proposes the adoption of legislation and regulations against racial profiling, the institutionalization of police training against discrimination, racism and racial profiling, the creation of a database on the racial origins of arrested pedestrians and drivers, and the establishment of the wearing of hand-held cameras for officers.

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Relationships with Aboriginal people

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In Montreal, Aboriginal women are 18 times more likely to be stopped by police officers. “What are the police doing to remedy the problem? asks the director of the Montreal Native Women's Shelter, Nakustet Sohhisiwin. On May 3, the SPVM deployed 17 agents, the canine squad and 13 patrol cars to assist an Aboriginal citizen in psychological distress.

“It was an exaggeration, the agents and bystanders were laughing at the situation, and the person was completely confused,” she recalls. She deplores the city's inaction in the face of racial profiling, while the administration seems quick to react in other matters, for example to replace the John A. Macdonald statue, which was recently vandalized.

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Adequate training

According to the social worker, some resources and solutions are already in the hands of the authorities, but they are not using them. She adds that the police are not aware of the Aboriginal organizations to which they could refer people or the services of the Aboriginal liaison officer, who can act as an interpreter. Ms. Sohhisiwin believes that police services need better training.

She therefore wants the RCMP to be trained by Indigenous police forces, the Peacekeepers. She also believes that police forces should receive more training on violence against women, mental health, and gender-based violence. In his opinion, social workers should not be counted on to support police officers in the event of an intervention, as they are already overwhelmed.

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Recommendations to follow

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Ms. Sohhisiwin suggests that police forces be modernized, even if it means being dismantled and replaced by new cohorts. “Officers need genuine compassion and resources, and they must work with Peacekeepers,” she suggests.

“The SQ has been the subject of allegations of attacks against Aboriginal women in Val-d'Or. There was no action, and the women who spoke up were vilified,” she regrets. The Viens Commission emerged from these events, but since the submission of its report last September, the community has still been waiting for measures from the police forces, observes Ms. Sohhisiwin.

“There are recommendations for youth protection and for hospitals, but neither the police nor anyone has implemented them. The norm is to completely ignore the problem.” Ms. Sohhisiwin suggests that everyone read the Viens Commission report and adopt best practices to improve relationships with Indigenous people and people of color.

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To go further

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The advisory committee on police reality in Quebec will hold targeted consultations behind closed doors with stakeholders starting on Tuesday, September 8.

Groups and citizens can send their briefs or comments to ccrp@msp.gouv.qc.ca.

The deadline for receiving them is October 15, 2020. Public hearings will take place in December. The advisory committee's report is expected in May 2021.

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Resources

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• The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, Desmond Cole, Penguin Random House Canada, 2015
• Black people under surveillance: slavery, repression and violence in Canada, Robyn Maynard, Memoir d'Encier, 2017
• SPVM interpellation policy
• Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)
• Report of the Viens Commission