Victoria leads push to explore regional police service

While crime knows no borders, police jurisdictions on the South Island still do. In a recent push led by Victoria, discussions could soon begin between Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria to explore forming a regional police service. In an interview with Saanich News, Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said Victoria, with support of the three neighbouring municipalities, recently sent a letter to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General expressing their interest in meeting with the minister to discuss regionalization. “At this time, the minister has received that letter and is looking to set up that meeting,” she said. Advocating for the merger, Desjardins argued that this move is long overdue. “This is something that Esquimalt has always been supportive of,” she said. “When we amalgamated with Victoria way back in 2003 it was with the understanding that… other communities were going to follow but that hasn’t happened, and here we are 23 years later.” From Desjardins’ standpoint, the benefits of amalgamation would outweigh the drawbacks, allowing police agencies to join forces and overcome today’s “significant challenges,” namely those related to recruitment and budget constraints among other things. “The opportunity to pool resources for the region may help in terms of the provision of services, and equitable funding, as well as recruitment and retention,” she said. “And there would hopefully be some help from the province if there is interest.” While it’s no done deal, Desjardins says getting all the mayors and the minister on board for a discussion, is a “baby step” toward a big decision. Speaking about the potential benefits of the merger, Desjardins is under no illusions about the challenges, citing her municipality’s police force amalgamating with VicPD over two decades ago, years before her tenure. “It was done very quickly and the parameters were not necessarily well thought out because it was a rushed process,” she said. “I learned that over the years and have done whatever we could to try and improve that situation, but it is a complicated issue. In order for parties to come together, there have to be mechanisms in place.” With collaboration and conscientiousness at its core, Desjardins believes that issues surrounding equitable service delivery, governance challenges, as well as the allocation of resources and costs could be resolved. “We need to do the due diligence and the homework, such that we can learn from our previous amalgamation, but let’s not shy away from an opportunity,” she said. On behalf of the three other mayors, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto sent two letters to the solicitor general’s office – dated July 14 and Aug. 6 – to begin discussions on the future of regional policing in Victoria and neighbouring communities. “The letter(s) noted our collective interest in examining the future of police services in our communities, while ensuring that any future regional police force maintains excellent services in each municipality,” Alto said in a written statement. In a written response to Victoria News, Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said he was approached by Alto earlier this year to gauge his interest in meeting with the minister to discuss regional policing. “Public safety is a priority and Saanich will participate in any discussion regarding policing in our region,” reads Murdock’s statement. “When it is convened, I plan to attend a meeting with the minister along my mayor colleagues to represent Saanich’s interests and share Saanich’s perspective.” For her part, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger acknowledged receipt of Victoria’s letter and said she is “open to the discussion” and looks forward to meeting with all mayors. “Our government recognizes there may be benefits to amalgamating municipal police departments and some municipal governments have begun exploring this option,” she said in a written statement to Saanich News. Krieger said B.C.’s Police Act permits police departments to merge, but stressed that close collaboration among all parties involved is paramount. “The bottom line for our government is that we want to work with municipalities and help them determine the best policing model for their needs, including amalgamated or regional models, and to ensure policing services are efficient, consistent, and reliable for people across the province.”