Montreal police chief says officers’ arrests in Toronto a ‘sad moment’ for policing

MONTREAL — The recent arrests of several Toronto officers in an organized crime investigation is a dark spot for law enforcement in Canada, but police services across the country do their best to guard against corruption, Montreal’s police chief said Tuesday.

“Trust me, we’re doing the best we can to avoid that kind of event,” Fady Dagher told reporters.

“It’s a very sad moment for the police in Canada, what happened in Toronto.”

Seven current Toronto officers and one retired officer were among 27 suspects charged in an investigation led by York Regional Police, which uncovered alleged bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking. Three Peel Regional Police officers have also been suspended but not charged in connection with the same probe.

Dagher noted that Montreal police aren’t immune to such cases, citing examples of senior intelligence officers accused of selling information to organized criminals in 2012 and 2013. He said his force has put in place numerous safeguards to keep tabs on officers and other employees who may have vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

“We have our failures, our tragic moments …. It doesn’t mean it will not ever happen again, but since those years, we put a lot of barriers to make sure to evaluate the vulnerability of our police officers during their career.” For instance, he said, once officers join specialized units, they are scrutinized for things like debts or issues in their personal life that could expose them to blackmail, he added.

Dagher spoke with Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw in recent days to check in. “It’s not easy at all because nobody wants this in his own organization, especially the police officers — they hate dirty cops,” Dagher said.

Montreal’s police chief made his comments about the Toronto police service during a news conference in which he released statistics about crime in 2025. He said Montreal saw a decline in gun-related crimes, with incidents dropping by more than half in the territory, from 214 reported in 2021 to 103 in 2025.

The city also had one of the lowest homicide rates in North America last year, at 1.16 per 100,000 inhabitants in the greater Montreal area, which includes Laval and Longueuil. But he acknowledged that Montrealers are still feeling insecure about their safety, largely due to a rise in homelessness and the number of people on the street with severe mental health issues.

“I’ll be frank with you: yes, in public spaces, we’re seeing that the feeling of insecurity isn’t just a perception, it’s on the rise,” Dagher said of the number of people who report feeling unsafe in the city. Part of the force’s priorities in 2026, he said, include dealing with mental health, homelessness, and an increase in the exploitation of youth by organized crime.

Dagher praised the increasing involvement of health-care workers such as psychiatrists who accompany police in the field for calls related to homelessness and mental health. “We don’t have all the tools, we aren’t necessarily social workers, street workers, psychologists, or therapists, and we don’t want to be either,” Dagher said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.

Pierre Saint-Arnaud, The Canadian Press