By Kevin Woodhouse
www.thesuburban.com
Since February, Sébastien de Montigny has been the new commander for Station 1 serving Senneville through Kirkland. He took over from retired Commander Richard Thouin.
Station 1’s new commander is a 17-year veteran of the force, having worked in downtown Montreal, Ville St. Laurent, Rosemont and Rivière des Prairies before calling the West Island precinct his new workplace.
Like his predecessor, de Montigny will actively continue the concept of community policing as part of his action plan for this year. “As a citizen of Montreal, I understand the needs of a citizen and expect my officers to work in the community as if they are part of that community,” de Montigny told The Suburban.
“For example, part of our role is to protect parents’ children while they are work,” the new commander said. “While we will have squad cars parked along service roads, you won’t find many children there during the day so we will also be concentrating our efforts in parks and at schools.”
Officers at Station 1 will also be taking a proactive approach towards helping senior citizens in preventative ways. Recently, officers were at the Beaconsfield Library to talk to seniors about potential fraud scams and how to avoid “the types of people who prey on our seniors by posing as city officials or local contractors,” de Montigny said.
The station will be holding a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ rendezvous this coming Wednesday, April 29 starting at 9 a.m. at the McDonalds on St. Charles. The informal gatherings are a chance for citizens to speak one on one with officers about local issues and concerns.
Regarding late night disturbances and incivilities from revelers as a result of partying in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, de Montigny will be taking a hands on approach with an active police presence.
Officers will also be visiting John Abbott College and McGill campuses’ student unions to meet with students about the need to respect area homeowners, especially after bars have closed.
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