By Canadian Press

Quebec public security probes domestic violence bracelet failure near Montreal

Sep 24, 2023 | 10:47 AM

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Public Security Department will probe why a tracking bracelet system deployed in the province to prevent domestic violence suspects from approaching complainants did not work earlier this month in a town south of Montreal.

The department said in a statement last week that on Sept. 9, an offender managed to get close to the victim in a suspected domestic violence case without the alarm triggering in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, south of Montreal.

Authorities say normally when an offender gets too close, it sets off an alert to the monitoring centre and triggers a series of protocols ensuring the victim’s safety, but in this case the suspect was arrested by police after a 911 call.

The department says regular followups are being provided to the victim and corrective measures were quickly put in place to prevent such a situation from recurring.

It calls the situation a “deplorable and isolated event” and the department says it remains convinced the bracelet system works as an additional protection measure for domestic violence victims.

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Quebec is the first jurisdiction in Canada to use the system, beginning a rollout in 2022. Between April 1 and July 31 this year, the monitoring centre intervened 155 times after an alert was triggered, with police being called on seven occasions.

The technology is made up of two devices that are linked — an ankle bracelet worn by the accused or offender and a mobile application installed on a cellphone given to the victim.

The system is imposed by a judge or provincial parole officials and until now has been used 178 times in different parts of Quebec. 

The Canadian Press