Several organizations are throwing their support behind the Victoria Police Department’s request to increase its budget by just over $4 million as Victoria councillors discuss the city’s draft 2022 budget.
VicPD’s provisional budget of $63.4 million reflects a 7.05 per cent increase to the 2021 budget of $59.2 million.
Pay increases to remain competitive, estimated at $1.62 million, are one of the main factors driving the increase, as well as $1.09 million to hire six new officers and four civilians.
Victoria city staff have prepared a draft financial plan for the city that would result in a property tax increase of no more than 3.25 per cent. That plan covers core costs only and does not include a number of additional items, such as new VicPD hires.
Councillors are expected to decide today which supplementary items will go to the public for input. Final decisions on the city’s budget will not happen until next year.
The police budget calls for the addition of one officer to the Assertive Community Treatment team, which was reduced from three officers to one last summer, three officers who would be part of a co-responder team with Island Health, a cultural liaison officer to build bridges with the Indigenous, Black and people of colour communities and a sergeant to investigate cybercrime.
The department also wants to hire four civilians, including a records specialist, a data analyst and front desk staff as an alternative to sworn officers.
A letter signed by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Victoria Business Association, Our Place Society, Victoria Conservatory of Music and Destination Greater Victoria calls on councillors to support the provisional police budget.
Grant McKenzie, communications director for Our Place, said the non-profit often relies on police to help keep staff, volunteers and the people they serve safe but officers aren’t always able to respond quickly to their calls.
“We definitely see that that the police are getting burnt out,” he said.
McKenzie said while Our Place would like to have an alternative response to many of the mental health crises they deal with, right now police are the only option.
Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said members of the business community downtown are experiencing an increase in street disorder and are finding it difficult to get a prompt response from VicPD because the department is under resourced. VicPD has previously said non-emergency callers can sometimes wait days for a response, depending on the availability of officers.
“Increasingly, the comment we get is that staff don’t feel safe,” Bray said.
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