A visibility plan was put in place Oct. 1, increasing police presence throughout the city. Undercover officers are also patrolling.
“We want the public to know we are aware of their concerns and taking them seriously,” said assistant director Vincent Richer, head of the organizational services division.
For those members of the public who are especially fearful as the anniversary nears, Richer said: “We want to tell them to continue to live their lives. We want to tell them that for Montreal police, it’s a priority to be on the ground to help them feel safe.”
A visibility plan was put in place Oct. 1, increasing police presence throughout the city and in particular in communities with greater numbers of Jewish or Muslim places of worship and other institutions. Undercover police officers are patrolling the city and activities as well. Universities will also receive increased security.
Police will also be keeping a close eye on protests planned for the next few days. Police tabulated 325 demonstrations in connection with the conflict since the start of the war, most of them peaceful, they said. More than 100 arrests were made during the protests.
As well, more than 288 possible hate crimes were reported over the last year, resulting in 41 arrests, said chief inspector Mohammed Aziz Bouhdid, responsible for the western region of Montreal. The number of possible hate crimes or events had slowed considerably in the last three months, with 27 reported.
The number of protests had also slowed, but is expected to increase in the coming days and weeks.
The call alerting them to the possible threat in Côte-St-Luc came around 15 minutes after officers stopped another vehicle in the neighbouring Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough and also found incendiary items inside. A 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds were arrested, police say.
The suspects have been released with a promise to appear in court. Their release had been criticized by some religious groups, but police said the courts were following standard procedures in such cases. Conditions were placed on the activities of the suspects.
“You will all end up in a pool of blood, none of you deserve to keep living,” the email read.
It was sent to synagogues in Hampstead, Westmount, St-Laurent, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Côte-St-Luc, among other places.
Montreal police said this month they will be particularly visible in the days before Oct. 7, the first anniversary of the Hamas rampage in Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and during which more than 250 were kidnapped, and the beginning of Israel’s military retaliation for the attack that has killed tens of thousands more and displaced nearly 2 million Palestinians.