Stéphane Wall, a retired supervisor with the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM), says judges could have prevented the death of police officer Maureen Breau, who died during an intervention in Louiseville last year.
• Read more: Maureen Brow's Murder: Are Police Officers Poorly Trained to Intervene in a Crisis?
• Read more: “Stay With Us Maureen”
• Read more: “The Event That Took Maureen From Us”
Immediately after he testified at coroner Kehan Kamel's public hearing to shed light on the events of March 27, 2023, Mr. Wall assured reporters bluntly.
According to him, the tragedy that claimed the lives of Maureen Brew and Isaac Brouillard Lessard could have been avoided if the recommendations contained in the 15-year-old post-mortem reports had been implemented. “We always repeat the same things. It is always linked to lack of awareness, risk analysis, lack of mental preparation, inadequate training, expansion, communication, strategy.
In its report, the CNESST pointed to four deficiencies that contributed to the tragedy. Lack of training, planning, poor tools for risk assessment and lack of oversight. Mr. Wall's method used in Montreal would have filled these gaps.
“If, from 2020, it had applied to the various police bodies, including the Sûreté du Québec, it probably wouldn't have happened,” he judges.
The former police officer thus submitted seven proposals to the coroner, which could be applied to the Sûreté du Québec. The most important thing is to maintain skills.
Earlier, Louisville Mayor Yvonne Dessais spoke to the coroner. He, who experienced the violent death of his sister and witnessed a loved one cheat on his fragile mental health, tried to testify before the coroner. “It's emotions. I've experienced it on both sides. It puts me at the center of everything: the massacre and mental health.
He testified to the increasingly difficult situation of managing his municipality. “These people need help. They're all alone in a room, it's pointless!”
For her part, Yvonne Douille, the general director of the city of Louisville, expressed a desire to see more housing adapted and supervised for this type of client. A project for about fifteen houses in Louisville was also in the pipeline for the municipal housing office, but was abandoned due to lack of resources.
In the afternoon, a retired crisis intervention consultant from SPVM made recommendations. The first, according to Michael Arruda, is to involve more families who know the user better. “Those who live with the person, who see the manifestation of symptoms, are obligated to take action.”
The hearings will continue on Tuesday.
