Public safety committee of the MRC Pontiac and sûreté du Québec releases 2023 annual report
Sophie Demers
The annual report gathers all data on activity conducted by the Public Safety Committee of the MRC as well as Pontiac sector of Sûreté du Québec from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
“I think the public was well protected, crimes against the person have always been a priority. Although statistically we have the right number of police officers for the number of crimes reported, the size of the territory is an issue for call response times. We have received very good feedback on the work and presence of the two police cadets who have been present for the past two summers, and the council of mayors has agreed to welcome four cadets in 2025, depending on the availability of candidates,” said Alain Gagnon, Bryson mayor, and Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
During the outlined dates, the Pontiac Public Safety Committee had two priorities. Firstly, to intervene in on and off-road traffic safety. The second priority was to intervene in criminal matters such as graffiti, breaking and entering, and drug use.
For the Pontiac Station of Sûreté du Québec there were 693 road patrols on road users, and 26 patrols for off road users such as quad riders, snowmobiles, and boaters. Of the road patrols 295 were carried out in the evening between 3pm to midnight enabling surveillance during times when crimes are conducted.
Elected officials made two requests to the Sûreté over the last year. The first was the sped in the Danford Lake municipality. Patrols were carried out and 10 statements of offence issued. The second request was to deal with the excessive noise in Rapides-des-Joachims. Operational files were opened and managed with the municipality’s Director General.
Many prevention initiatives were carried out such as domestic violence simulation for protocol application, cybersecurity, bullying and alcohol and drugs presentations at various local schools.
In terms of vehicle collisions, there was a total of 259 which follows the downward trend over the past few years. There were two fatal collisions, two collisions that resulted in serious injuries down from four in the previous year. There were 43 collisions that resulted in minor injuries.
Various interventions were made. Specifically, 24 nautical warnings were issued as well as 50 impaired driving interventions. A total of 258 warnings were issued. In addition, there were 60 statements issued in the name of peace, good order, and public safety while 23 were issued for nuisance.
Sûreté du Québec intervened in a total of 239 crimes against the person. Of these crimes 18 were sexual assault, and 133 were assault. In terms of crimes against property, there were a total of 181. There were three incidents of arson, 21 of vehicle theft, 42 cases of fraud, and 32 cases of mischief in which the Sûreté du Québec intervened.
A Cannabis Eradication Operation started August and September 2022, since many cannabis operations have been investigated. Since 92 plants were eradicated in Pontiac, 8 illegal production sites were identified, and four arrests were made.
