Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending herself against accusations she doesn’t support police officers, amid a spate of shootings in the city.
Plante admits she can be criticized on many subjects but says it is false to suggest she isn’t devoted to Montreal or to addressing gun violence.
Her comments to reporters Thursday come after the union representing Montreal police officers said that the force doesn’t have enough members to properly police the city and that officers are quitting because they don’t feel supported.
The Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal. sent a letter to Plante this week claiming that since the mayor promised last year to hire 250 additional officers, the number of police in the city has dropped by 72.
Plante and other Quebec politicians are under pressure to respond to gun violence in the Montreal area.
Two men were murdered within less than one hour on Tuesday, the latest killings in a series of high-profile and brazen shootings in the city this summer.
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