Montreal police will introduce a new strangulation-response protocol city-wide after an 18-month pilot project in the city’s east end showed major improvements in how domestic-violence cases are investigated.

The initiative, the first of its kind in Quebec, began in May 2024 in partnership with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP). It focuses on strangulation, which remains one of the strongest predictors of domestic homicide. Studies show victims who have been strangled by a partner are seven times more likely to be killed later by the same person.

Inspired by policing models in the U.S., the program trained officers to recognize the often hidden signs of strangulation and to ask detailed, specific questions when responding to calls. Nearly half of victims show no visi

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