The Quebec government is launching a new strategy to step up the fight against criminal groups and gun violence.
The RESPECT strategy (Effective Public Safety Response to Curb Organized Crime and Illegal Trafficking) will receive a budget of $66 million over the next three years, the government announced Monday.
Of that amount, $52.6 million will go to the Ministry of Internal Security, while $3.4 million will go to the Ministry of Justice, specifically to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).
With this new strategy, Quebec aims, in particular, to secure existing expertise in intelligence on organized crime and ensure the deployment of investigators within specialized teams combating armed violence.
The government also plans to continue efforts to destabilize the organization and capabilities of criminal groups, as well as to strengthen the specialized teams of prosecutors responsible for cases involving criminal networks.
In a news release, Internal Security Minister Ian Lafrenière noted that “criminal groups are unashamedly flaunting their presence” and that they recruit young people to do their “dirty work.”
“Their methods are evolving. So are ours. (…) With RESPECT, we are equipping ourselves with concrete tools to directly target these unscrupulous individuals,” he said, also thanking the police officers and prosecutors leading the fight against organized crime.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette noted that some 30 prosecutors will now be tasked specifically with handling cases related to gun violence and organized crime.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
