Montreal has already offered the post of the chief of police, his two deputies

Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
The head of the police Department of the City of Montreal, Philip Pitcher, during his testimony to the Commission of inquiry into the protection of the confidentiality of journalistic sources, which took place last April.

Félix Séguin and
Antoine Lacroix

Tuesday, 5 December 2017 22:48

UPDATE
Wednesday, 6 December 2017 00:57

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A sign that the hours of Philip Pitcher are counted at the head of the Montreal police, two of his deputies have been approached yesterday for the position of chief by the general direction of the City.

According to what learned our Bureau of investigation, the assistant directors for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) Simonetta Barth and Claude Bussières have both refused the offer of the administration of Valérie Plant loyalty to Philip Pitcher.

Added to this is the report of the commissioner of Michel Bouchard which will be published today. The latter would be hard as to the internal practices of the SPVM.

The commissioner Bouchard would recommend the same as the chief Pitcher to be relieved of his duties, according to said Radio-Canada yesterday in the late evening.

Philip Pitcher would be facing three options:

• He could resign voluntarily, if the report is damning.

• The minister of public Safety, Martin Coiteux, might decide to put the SPVM under guardianship.

• If it does not impose the trusteeship, Mr. Coiteux would consider recommending the suspension of the chief Philippe Pitcher.

Fabrication of evidence

According to our information, the director-Pitcher would not have yet been called by the department of public Safety to make him part of the dilemma in which the minister Martin Coiteux, who would have in his hands the report Bouchard since last Thursday.

This document was commissioned after the storm that was gunned down in February on the police service of montreal in the wake of the revelations of our Bureau of investigation and the issuance of J. E., who reported the testimonies of ex-officers and investigators who have accused their colleagues of internal Affairs to have fabricated evidence to get rid of them or shut them up.

A few days after our reporting, the Division of internal affairs of the POLICE was to withdraw all its investigations until further notice. These records are now transferred to the Sûreté du Québec, and four other police forces.

Appointed chief in 2015, Pitcher has seen his reign was stained by several controversies, such as the decision of the POLICE to spy on the communications of journalists. The scandal had led to the creation of the Commission of inquiry into the protection of the confidentiality of journalistic sources.