2023-12-07 05:00:00
Another investigator within the Montreal police team responsible for finding the author of the arson at Place D’Youville has left. She is the fifth to leave this unit, because of the toxic climate that there reign.
• Read also: Deadly fire in Old Montreal: four of eight investigators left due to difficult work climate
• Read also: Deadly fire in Old Montreal: police blunders complicate the investigation
Our Bureau of Investigation has learned from well-informed sources that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had to withdraw in a hurry at the beginning of November one of its investigators, who had been loaned to major crimes from the City Police Department of Montreal (SPVM).
The police officer, who has nearly 12 years of seniority with the federal police, has been with the SPVM since 2021. From March 2023, she took part in the investigation into the fire in Old Montreal , in which seven people died. This is the deadliest blaze to have occurred in the metropolis in nearly 50 years.
From then on, this police officer would have experienced an ordeal within her team, according to several sources who spoke to our Bureau of Investigation on condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
“She endured denigrating and demoralizing comments for months,” says one of our informants.
The investigator would have been sidelined when making important decisions, excluded from certain team meetings and described as “slow” by an officer, our sources say.
Work stopping
Affected by the situation, the police officer would have called the RCMP employee assistance service, which would have advised her immediate withdrawal from the SPVM.
This recommendation was accepted by a superior of the federal police, who went with the police officer to the SPVM parking lot, where they had her personal effects returned to them.
The woman was then placed on sick leave. The RCMP allegedly ordered her to cut off all contact with members of the SPVM’s major crimes investigation team, we learned.
Fifth start
This policewoman is therefore the fifth person to desert this unit since the start of the investigation into the fire at Place D’Youville.
Two investigators requested a team change in the first weeks of the investigation, while two others left in mid-October.
Our Bureau of Investigation also revealed at that time that the investigation was floundering due to certain choices made by the police and that this might affect its outcome.
Neither the SPVM nor the RCMP wished to comment on the specific situation of the police officer, citing reasons of confidentiality.
The Montreal police, however, assure that they “do not tolerate any lack of respect, misconduct or harassment by members of its staff.”
In cases where they arise, these allegations “are taken seriously and are subject to immediate attention,” insisted the organization.
Do you have any information to share with us regarding this story?
Write to us at or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.
1701940207
#Deadly #fire #Montreal #police #officer #leaves #investigation #team