Death of policewoman Maureen Breau: the APPQ also calls for a public inquiry
It was in Louiseville that Maureen Breau's life came to an abrupt end during a police intervention.
The Association of Provincial Policewomen and Policemen of Quebec (APPQ ) in turn calls for a public inquiry into the death in service of the agent of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) Maureen Breau, which occurred on March 27.
This voice is added to those of the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, as well as the mayor of Louiseville, Yvon Deshaies. The Bloc member for Berthier-Maskinongé, Yves Perron, also supports the mayor in this request.
For Jacques Painchaud, president of the APPQ, recent events leave a bitter taste. According to him, measures should have been taken upstream to avoid these losses of life.
Mr. Painchaud wants there to be changes to prevent similar situations from happening again. It is not normal, according to him, that individuals representing risks for themselves and others are not better supervised and monitored.
The president of the APPQ says that interventions with people with mental health problems are complex, because they can easily escalate and present imminent risks. Risks to which the police have learned to respond with deadly force.
According to APPQ data, calls for disturbed mental state would have increased by 35% between 2019 and 2022.
Mr. Painchaud also deplores the lack of communication between the various stakeholders in the judicial process. Increased communication would allow for a better understanding of the individual and his overall portrait, which could facilitate police interventions and make them less dangerous.
The Sûreté du Québec confirms that the funeral of Sergeant Maureen Breau will take place on Thursday, April 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Notre-Dame-du-Cap shrine.
The Trois-Rivières Police Department is working to #x27;elsewhere now with psychosocial workers. According to Mr. Painchaud, this idea deserves to be implemented across the province.
In addition to reducing the level of dangerousness of police interventions, such collaboration could reduce the judicialization of certain individuals, while maintaining their confidentiality.
He believes that a public inquiry could therefore shed light on these elements.
