Montreal police chief Sylvain Caron announces retirement

Citing "purely personal" reasons, Montreal's chief of police, Sylvain Caron, is stepping down four years into a five-year contract, after taking the reins at a difficult time in the police force's history.

Caron, 60,announced his retirement alongside Montreal Mayor Valrie Planteat a newsconference at city hall Tuesdaymorning. He will remain in the top job until April 22.

He was appointed head of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montral (SPVM) in December 2018 for a five-year term, with his contract set to expire in 2023.

Plante thanked Caron for his "sacrifices and his service to the public," particularly during the pandemic.

She also saluted his response to recent gun violence among Montreal youth.

"If crime is changing, then we change as well, and we adapt," Plante said. She said Caronis leaving thepolice force in good order and ready to respond to the future.

'Not at all' due to conflict with administration

Caron hasbeen at odds with Plante and her administration, notably overhis proposal to close some neighbourhood stations and use the money savedto deploy morepatrol officers.

Caron said while he regrets that he and the administration "perhaps lacked a bit of communication" at times, his retirement was "not at all" due to any conflict with the mayor.

He said he had made the decision to retire in December. He held back tears as he thanked his family for their support during his long career.

"There's never a good time to leave," said Caron. "The cumulative effect of 40 years of career led me to decide to take care of myself and my family."

WATCH| 'The SPVM is adapting' to social realities, mayor says:

Plante defends Caron's record on marginalized communities

3 years ago

Duration 0:56

Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante says measures to reduce racial and social profiling were enacted under Sylvain Caron's tenure as Montreal police chief and she says the city plans to carry on that work.

Montrealopposition Leader Aref Salem said in a statement Monday that Caron's early retirement shows Plante's administration is "out of touch" with thepublic safety needs of residents.

He cited the city's "refusal to hire the promised 250 new police officers" and"the shifting positions on the body camera project" as examples, adding that the administration had "failed to maintain good communications and relationships with its police service and its chief."

Caron said the SPVM currently has270 vacancies due retirements and departures and an additional fiveper cent absence rate, meaning that the force is missing more than 400 officers. While he said this was not a factor in his retirement, he said the police service willneed to hire more officers.

Following the newsconference Tuesday, Salem noted that Caron's departure was coming at a time when many Montrealerswere concerned about violence in the city.

"A police chief who is leaving in the midst of a crisis, it doesn't give Montrealers a message of security, and a sense of security," he said.

An appointment in 'troubled times'

Caron was the deputy director general of Quebec's provincial police force, the Sret du Qubec(SQ),before retiring from that force in March 2018. He had previously served as chief of the municipal police force in Sorel-Tracy, Que.

His appointment to the SPVM cameat a time of restructuring for the city's police service.

He was one of two candidates recommended by then-interim chief Martin Prud'homme, who had been brought in from the SQandtasked with overhauling the SPVM'sinternal culture, following the suspension and eventual resignation of former SPVM chief Philippe Pichet.

Pichet's suspension had followed a Quebec government report that cited "a climate of tension and suspicion that has developed within theSPVM."

The appointment process for Caron unfolded quickly, with the city announcing his nomination the day after the mayor had said a committee would start reviewing candidates.

In a statement Monday, Yves Francoeur, the president of Montreal's police union, theFraternit des policiers et policires de Montralalluded to the tensions in the force that preceded Caron.He saluted"Mr.Caron's contribution to the SPVM, in particular to its stability in troubled times, as well as the spirit of collaboration he has shown."

Learning curve

Caron, who is not from Montreal and had previously worked in smaller municipalities, was asked whether adapting to the city's realities had represented a learning curve for him.

Caron admitted that the city's challenges were "particular" and that "not one neighbourhood is the same as another, but he said that he drew on the experience of his team.

"Together we found solutions to better serve the population," he said.

Plantepointed out that Caron introduced specialized squads to better address issues related to mental health and homelessness.

She also praised him for overseeing the implementation of the province's first street-check policy and developingan action plan based on data on racial and social profiling. Those measures were heavily criticized when first unveiled, however.

Fo Niemi, executive director of the Montreal-based Centerfor Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), hopes the next police chief will do more to build bridges with the city's various cultural communities.

"There seems to be no effort to reach out to communities and the community leaders as well," said Niemi.

"I think these trends have been in place for the last almost 10years. So it's time to reverse, set new course."

No successor has yet been named.Plante said the official process will be launched in the coming weeks to find Caron's replacement, and that an interim chief would be named before his departure.