The number of complaints about Montreal’s STM subway system has more than tripled, as reported in La Presse and confirmed by the STM to Global News.
In 2023, over 1,300 complaints were filed, which is three times the yearly average of 377.
Most of the complaints are connected to homeless individuals and drug use in the subway.
Specialized security agents from the STM monitor the subways to handle non-violent situations, and police officers from 16 stations respond to emergencies.
However, some city councillors believe that it's a significant mistake that police officers no longer regularly patrol the subways.
Aref Salem, the opposition leader at Montreal city hall, suggested, “They should allocate more funding for this. More specialized personnel and more police officers.”
Salem asserts that removing police officers has eliminated a deterrent to crime.
He emphasized, “If we want people to use the subway and buses, we must ensure that we provide them with a safe environment.”
But according to Sam Watts, the CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission, adding more officers to the subway is not the solution.
Watts, who oversees the homeless shelter, insists that addressing the root cause—creating or finding more affordable housing for the city’s most vulnerable population—would significantly help.
“Let’s make better decisions and change direction,” Watts stated.
A public transit advocate is in agreement.
François Pepin of Trajectoire Québec told Global News, “Cities and the government should allocate more resources for the homeless population in the city.”
