The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) confirmed on Thursday morning that it has acquired four surveillance cameras that operate in a manner similar to the license‑plate reading systems used by the company Flock. The four units are intended to record vehicle license‑plate numbers as part of the police force's broader monitoring capabilities.
According to the police service, the newly purchased cameras will be installed within the city of Montreal. The announcement did not include details about the specific sites where the equipment will be placed or the timeline for deployment. The SPVM indicated that the devices are a supplement to its existing array of surveillance tools.
The purchase comes at a time when the use of automatic license‑plate recognition technology continues to generate public discussion in Quebec. City officials, privacy advocates and community groups have been debating the balance between law‑enforcement benefits and potential privacy concerns associated with such systems.
While the SPVM did not provide a cost figure for the four cameras, the acquisition reflects an ongoing effort to enhance the capacity of police operations in the metropolitan area. The force emphasized that the technology is intended to support investigations and traffic enforcement, though it stopped short of describing any particular operational objectives.
The broader conversation about license‑plate reading devices remains active, with stakeholders on both sides of the issue presenting arguments related to security effectiveness and individual privacy rights. The addition of the four Flock‑style cameras adds a new element to Montreal's public‑safety infrastructure as the city continues to navigate these discussions.