Calls for Quebec to keep funding Montreal police unit that serves homeless population

A specialized team of officers dedicated to serving the homeless was billed as a new approach to community policing but after three years, funding from the province has run out.

A specialized team of officers dedicated to serving the homeless was billed as a new approach to community policing but after three years, funding from the province has run out.

By the end of the month, the team will be gone.

In 2021, Montreal police received a $7.4-million grant from the Quebec government to create a specialized team specifically trained to deal with the city's homeless population.

The l’Équipe de concertation et de rapprochement communautaire (ECCR) is made up of five civilian community advisers and 33 officers who are free from responding to emergency calls and instead focus on community outreach and engagement.

Kingslyne Toussaint, the director general of Equipe RDP, said the ECCR is a model for community policing and is doing excellent work building trust.

But on March 31st, the funding from the grant will run out. In a statement, Montreal police confirm the team will be broken up.

"The ECCR has done exceptional work over the past three years. The SPVM would like to salute the team's police and civilian employees, and tell them that their role and expertise will remain at the heart of its community policing approach," reads part of the statement.