The Lebanese Fady Dagher was named the new police chief of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) in Quebec, Canada.
During the meeting of the Commission de la Sécurité Publique on Thursday, Dagher presented his vision of policing, which will be more open and modern, “aiming to address a population that is much more multicultural today.”
In his speech, he highlighted that he wants to find proactive solutions to many issues before “they become big problems by working together and with a sense of openness and dialogue.”
His main goal is to re-establish trust in the police department, which had made headlines with several racial profiling cases and a lack of accountability.
Born and raised in Ivory Coast to Lebanese parents, Dagher has a Master’s degree in business administration from McGill University and 25 years of policing experience with the SPVM before becoming the chief of police in Longueuil (Quebec) in 2017.
He previously implemented a model of community policing, focusing on bridging the gap between communities and police officers, and gaining community trust.
He also developed the first policy on racial and social profiling in Canada and increased diversity in the Longueuil police force.
Last year, Dagher set a project aiming at bringing police officers closer to vulnerable communities, such as those struggling with addiction and those experiencing homelessness.
