After an 18-month pilot project showed strong results, the Montreal police service (SPVM) is expanding a protocol that focuses on strangulation in cases of domestic violence across the entire city.
The initiative was developed in close partnership with Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP). It aims to improve how police identify, document and investigate this serious form of violence and to strengthen how the justice system responds.
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In a press release, SPVM says that studies show that when a person attempts to strangle their intimate partner, the risk that the victim will later be killed by that same person increases significantly. Strangulation is considered a grave act that deserves special attention.
“Following this successful experiment, the decision was made to implement the project on a large scale and on a permanent basis throughout the SPVM’s jurisdiction. Police personnel from all our neighborhood stations and regional criminal investigation divisions will receive training on strangulation in the context of domestic violence,” confirms Inspector Anouk St-Onge, who leads the project.
The protocol on strangulations in domestic violence cases takes a multidisciplinary approach to improve how police and prosecutors handle reports of this crime. Victims receive information about the symptoms that may appear hours or days after being strangled and are informed about the health risks.
The process includes an additional section for the victim’s statement, the involvement of the SPVM’s forensic identification unit, and the participation of the Montreal Crime Victims Assistance Centre (CAVAC). In addition to improving support for victims throughout the judicial process, the protocol also aims to strengthen the quality of evidence gathered so that appropriate charges can be laid against suspects.
“By identifying risk factors and making appropriate representations to the court so that this crime is considered for what it is—a serious crime that is statistically a precursor to spousal homicide—the DPCP is proud to implement this innovative and inspiring initiative, which makes a concrete contribution to protecting victims,” explains Maya Ducasse-Hathi, a prosecutor specializing in domestic violence and the DPCP lead on the project.
She added that the training and improved evidence help prosecutors determine who the main or dominant aggressor is and to distinguish between an act of aggression and a defensive or protective act in cases where both partners file complaints.
“Training and improved evidence are also tools for prosecutors trying to determine who is the primary or dominant aggressor and to distinguish between what may constitute assault, as opposed to a defensive or protective act, in cases of cross-accusations, in order to prevent the justice system from being exploited.”
During the pilot phase in Montreal’s east end, police handled 348 strangulation cases. In 94.5 per cent of them, the victims were women, and 46 per cent had no visible injuries.
The pilot showed major improvements in how cases were documented. The number of incident reports that specifically mentioned strangulation rose from 66.7 per cent before the pilot to 86.9 per cent after. Mentions of related symptoms increased from 51.3 to 66.9 per cent, and referrals of victims to medical services rose from 35.7 to 60.8 per cent.
Police said the pilot also gave officers practical tools that fit their work, including improved victim statement forms and specialized photography equipment that helped collect and preserve stronger evidence.
“Enhanced training for police officers, the addition of investigative tools, including forensic photography, and improved victim reporting forms are extremely helpful in our work,” said Laurent Gagné-Roy, a prosecutor specializing in domestic violence at the Montreal office.
“From the outset of the investigation, patrol officers are better equipped to observe and note signs of recent strangulation on the victim. When preparing for trial, I am better able to understand how the crime unfolded, which helps me in constructing my interrogations. At trial, specialized police officers provide even more reliable testimony about what they observed when they responded to the victim,” says Laurent Gagné-Roy, a prosecutor specializing in domestic violence at the Montreal office.”
In recent months, other police services in Quebec and prosecutors elsewhere in Canada have contacted the SPVM and the DPCP to learn more about the protocol. The issue of strangulation in domestic violence cases has also been added to the training offered by Quebec’s Specialized Court for Sexual and Domestic Violence.
“The SPVM and the DPCP are pleased to see the interest generated by this project. Some of our police partners are keen to draw inspiration from it. Given that domestic violence is a sad reality that occurs everywhere, this makes sharing best practices to improve victim support even more important,” says St-Onge.
