Two police stations in two very different areas on the island of Montreal will be merging in the near future.
Station 24 located in the heart of Outremont, on Van Horne will be transferring its police department to Station 26 on Mountain Sights in Cote Des Neiges, a station that handles twice the amount of calls and handles four times the amount of crime.
La Presse reported on Monday that there has been negative feedback from some police officers who chose to remain anonymous. These officers believe that with the merger they will not be able to service the residents of Outremont the way they are used to.
Borough Mayor Phillipe Tomlinson told CJAD 800 that he does not speak for police but believes the merger will not affect services to the residents of Outremont.
"We're satisfied that they're open, that they're communicating with us that they're explaining things to us and there will be no loss of service to the residents of Outremont," says Tomlinson.
He adds the SPVM has been extremely transparent and have assured him they will be keeping certain staff members at the station in Outremont.
Although the SPVM has not commented to CJAD 800, Tomlinson says the merger is something the SPVM is trying out in different parts of the city not only to save money but to provide specific types of service to certain areas.
"They are trying a new process and they are convinced it will work," says Tomlinson. "They are keeping a lieutenant at Station 24. That means there will be just as much service as before because there will be someone dedicated to the area," he added.
The SPVM has said it will release a statement when the merger becomes official with details about when it will happen.