What is Public Security

Increasingly every year we notice the crime rate growing, and Quebec is no exceptions. Politics have forced police

departments to drastically cut back on the hiring of Police officers, thus the need

For years we have been noticing the familiar, police look-alike vehicles, patrolling

the streets of small suburban cities.  These vehicles belong to a small network of

officers called Public Security. These departments were put in place to enhance

After cities and towns in and around the

island of Montreal, lost their local police

departments due to provincial or municipal law merging all the smaller police

departments into one island wide mega police department, there was an increased

Affluent municipalities during the late 70’s demanded more security and

surveillance. This need for more security became a concern of all the mayors of

these smaller Cities and Towns in and around Montreal. Since the Government

would not allow a private police department, the only alternative was security

The first Town to start this service was the Town of Hampstead, when Mayor Irving

Adessky brought back the idea from the USA.  Mayor Adessky wanted a more

personalized service than the Montreal Police, where the officers would integrate

with the residents, while maintaining a service that would offer personalized

surveillance of residential and Public Buildings. The city of Westmount and other

Some officers were immediately hired as Town employees while other cities like

Cote Saint Luc, and the West Island, used the services of various security

companies. I believe that within 10 years after Hampstead introduced this service a

The PSO encountered resistance from the local Police departments, who believed

that the Public Security officers were

overstepping their boundaries doing

work that belonged to the police and

therefore hostility grew between the

PSO (Public Security Officer) and the

Depending on what side of the fence

we may be, we may think the police

were right or wrong. However, I

believe that the police were right in their complaints. Ever since the introduction of

the PSO there has been a steady decrease of Police presence in these towns, to

the point where the PSO is mainly the only vehicle patrolling in the Municipality.

Instead of hiring more police officers the present Police officers were and are presently placed in areas with increased

criminal activities. and the patrolling is left to the local PSO in Towns or cities, where they are present.

Today the PSO officers drive in patrol vehicles with lights and sirens, the colour of the vehicles emulate the Police

vehicles.  Officers are equipped with Police batons, handcuffs, and to the extreme bullet proof vests. In reality there is no

and the work that they perform is and could be endless.

The PSO is the only Public Service in all the Towns where they operate ( Contrary to other Public Departments) that has

never been involved in any public scandal that could blemish their impeccable reputation, although they are fully

knowledgeable of whatever is going on in their municipality.

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“The PSO News and Gossip”

There are rumours that the Town of

Hampstead has decided to follow

suite with Cote St. Luc and install

GPS trackers in all the vehicles.

The officers were taken by surprise

and could not understand why

Councillor Elfacy would decide to

do his. The officers have never

given the Town reason to feel this

distrust, and they are puzzled why

the town has hit all the officers with

such an offensive and insulting

blow.  This new Council only

months old however, have decided

to spy on a service that has offered

loyalty for over 30 years. The officer

fare offended, because they truly

believed that  Mayor and council 

appreciate the work they do, and

that extra step they take for the

Hampstead residents.

This move certainly cannot be

considered an incentive push

veteran officers to work harder in

patroling the Town.