Terrebonne officers credited with reshaping domestic violence interventions across Quebec
Terrebonne police liaisons transform domestic violence interventions in Quebec, lowering risk while strengthening investigations, training and court coordination.
The Terrebonne Service de police says two liaison officers have helped redesign domestic violence interventions that are now being adopted across Quebec, improving follow-up, standardizing reporting and strengthening links with prosecutors and community services. The initiative, led by Joëlle Laparé and Martine Milton, began as a pandemic-era follow-up practice and has evolved into a province-wide shift in how police respond to intimate partner violence. Officials and prosecutors report the changes have improved the quality of investigations and, they say, helped prevent deaths.
Terrebonne officers build a proactive follow-up program
Laparé and Milton started by routinely recontacting people after initial calls for service, checking in several days later to see how situations had evolved. The informal practice was formalized into a dedicated domestic violence liaison program at the Terrebonne police, with the two officers moving from patrol duties to a specialized role focused on prevention and support. Their aim was to create a safety net around potential victims whether or not a criminal offence had been recorded.
The program requires liaisons to revisit files, advise patrol colleagues on building trust with victims, and ensure victims receive practical information and referrals. Officers emphasize small but concrete practices—calm presence, patient listening and non-judgmental follow-up—that encourage victims to disclose risks and consider protective options. That emphasis on relationship-building underpins the broader change in local policing culture.
Program outcomes and lives saved, officials say
Local officers report measurable results from the new approach. Milton and Laparé estimate that nine lives have been saved as a direct consequence of the intensified follow-up and coordination since the program began. The shift responded to a post-pandemic surge in lethal intimate partner violence, when Quebec recorded notable increases in femicides.
The liaisons also lead peer reviews of domestic violence responses within the force and chair a committee that collects best practices from police, judicial and community partners. Their work is credited with improving the consistency of frontline reporting and increasing the chances that dangerous dynamics are identified early in the policing process.
Standardized victim declaration form adopted provincewide
A multi‑agency expert committee developed a victim declaration form tailored to intimate partner violence that collects investigative essentials and offers patrol guidance on what to document. The standardized form is now used by a majority of Quebec police services, according to the liaison officers, and has helped create clearer investigative files for prosecutors.
Prosecutors say those more detailed and consistent police files make it easier to assess the dynamics of an abusive relationship and to prepare charges where appropriate. The uniform form has narrowed communication gaps between police and Crown prosecutors by ensuring critical context and indicators of risk are recorded at the scene.
Training prosecutors and police on coercive control
The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) and community organizations have collaborated to provide mandatory training for prosecutors who may handle domestic or sexual violence cases. The DPCP’s provincial coordinator for domestic violence, Isabelle Dorion, and other trainers have emphasized the need to understand coercive control in order to interpret evidence and victim testimony accurately.
Since 2023, trainers working with the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale report they have instructed several hundred prosecutors and many front-line actors on the nuances of intimate partner violence. The training covers victim engagement, testimonial sensitivities and the role of controlling behaviours as indicators of escalating risk, equipping legal actors to follow cases through the judicial process more effectively.
Judicial and legislative reforms reinforce the new approach
Quebec’s government has established a dedicated tribunal for sexual and domestic violence matters, with a phased rollout that officials plan to complete by November 30, 2026. The DPCP has also adopted a “vertical prosecution” model for intimate partner violence, aiming to keep the same prosecutors assigned to a case throughout the judicial process to preserve continuity for victims.
At the federal level, Bill C-16, introduced in December, seeks to criminalize certain forms of coercive control by adding specific offences related to deprivation of liberty, surveillance and isolation. Quebec is advancing complementary measures, including Bill 4—known as the Gabie Renaud law—which will allow individuals and their families to check a new partner’s history for prior domestic violence. Together, these legal changes aim to close gaps between police interventions and longer-term judicial protection.
Cross-sector committees and community partnerships multiply impact
Beyond the police and Crown, community organizations and shelters have been central to the reforms. The Regroupement des maisons pour femmes has produced materials used in training and operates workshops for police services, while multi-disciplinary committees share best practices across regions. These cross-sector discussions have helped align language, documentation standards and risk assessment methods across the justice and support systems.
Stakeholders acknowledge the system is not yet perfect and say failures still occur, but they point to sustained momentum and a changing culture among first responders. By combining practical follow-up, standardized paperwork, targeted training and legal reforms, officials contend the province is strengthening its overall response to intimate partner violence.
The Terrebonne liaison program represents a local initiative that has influenced provincial practice, illustrating how modest changes in patrol routines, documentation and inter-agency cooperation can reshape domestic violence interventions across multiple institutions.
