Security in Saint-Laurent's industrial sector

Yet the sector, which employs thousands by day, becomes a virtual ghost town during non-business hours-potentially turning it into a haven for thieves looking to score without the hassle of prying eyes. Who's looking out for the security of Saint-Laurent's industrial sector?

It turns out that while there are some support measures available through the borough's economic development department, companies are responsible for their own security.

"Each company has the freedom to choose who they do business with (regarding security)," said borough mayor Alan DeSousa. "Given the size of our industrial park, there is probably a plethora of (security) companies operating in direct contact with their clients, none of whom necessarily have a link with the borough. The only one we do provide some funding for is Prévention Industrielle, but we don't intervene in their operations."

Prévention Industrielle Saint-Laurent, a non-profit organization with a focus on industrial crime prevention, was established by the former city of Saint-Laurent back in 1996 at the request of local industries. Calls for an interview with director Chantal Clavel were not returned.

His company's work has earned him numerous accolades from local police over the years. "The police can't be everywhere all the time. Our security is not here to replace them," says Desputeau of his frequent collaboration with police, "but thanks to our eyes and ears, we can communicate certain things to them."

The company sends out three cars to patrol the area for his clients on evenings and weekends. When it comes to catching the bad guys, all it takes is a little vigilance and a lot of nerve, like the time Desputeau cut the motor and removed the keys of a getaway car being used by thieves who were loading computers. "We surrounded the thieves and called the police," he said.

Although Desputeau was actually shot at by escaping criminals (he was unharmed) during a hold-up on Halpern Street last week, he says it usually doesn't get as bad as that.

"In most cases, I would say [thieves want] computer-related items," said Police station 6 commander Gino Dubé. "But you can have people who break-in to steal personal things belonging to employees, such as handbags under counters, coats, etc."

Dubé is quick to point out, however, that despite there having been 148 commercial break-ins since the beginning of the year in the area covered by Station 6 (which includes non-industrial areas), the situation here is nothing to worry about.

"It's stable from one year to the next. [The crime rate] can go up 10% one month, down 20% the next. It's a type of crime that is omnipresent, but it's fairly stable in Saint-Laurent," he added.

Security is nevertheless a concern for a relatively small portion of companies, according to an annual needs survey done by Développment Économique Saint-Laurent (DESL), the borough's economic development department.

"A certain percentage of companies, maybe 10% [of those surveyed] have had some [security] problems in the past or have expressed some worries. For these companies, we've helped to augment the information and services available by, among others, the Montreal police department," said DESL director Daniel Dicaire.

Dicaire adds that often DESL commissioners will meet with company heads to go over possible solutions, which can range from simple techniques like anti-theft marking and placing computers away from windows to sophisticated alarm and surveillance systems. "We work on a one-to-one basis," he said.