Victoria city council has asked the police board to find ways to fund an increased police presence downtown and a crackdown on illegal drug activity.
As Elizabeth Cull, finance committee chair for the Victoria Esquimalt Police Board, met Thursday with council about its police priorities, Coun. Stephen Hammond asked what it will take to enforce the rules and what cuts might have to come elsewhere to step up enforcement.
“What does it take in order to end daytime sheltering on all the places that are illegal, which is streets, boulevards and sidewalks,” said Coun. Stephen Hammond. “That’s 100 per cent illegal and yet it goes on.
“We are inundated, and rightfully so, with emails and phone calls and discussions from people who are just at their wits end about what is going on in their parks and on their streets and to their kids.”
Coun. Krista Loughton said increasing the amount of community policing, foot patrols and bike patrols would make a big difference.“That connection between residents, businesses and the police, I think is really positive,” she said.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said his priority is dealing with public drug consumption and ensuring a “culture of impunity” does not take hold in Victoria.
“There needs to be teams out on the street, whether they’re uniformed or not uniformed, whether it’s a social worker and a bylaw and a police [officer] or some combination of social worker and whatever,” he said.
“We need much more of that presence on the street to make it really clear that the activities we’re seeing on the street are inappropriate and have to be confined to certain locations.”
Caradonna suggested having to come up with a priority list for the police board before the city’s community safety and wellbeing plan is introduced this fall is difficult.
“I have to imagine that the community safety and wellbeing plan is going to have an impact on how we address street disorder. In fact, my assumption is that that’s probably one of the main things it does.”
Coun. Matt Dell urged the police board to determine whether its resources could be better deployed. “We’re in this inflationary period where everything is more expensive, and we’re going to have to cut some of these expenses, whatever they may be, in each situation,” he said, noting that could mean a reduction in resources for building or equipment upgrades or community outreach.
Mayor Marianne Alto said she intends to write the province to push for additional police training capacity throughout B.C.
Alto requested a breakdown of which services VicPD provides only in Victoria or in Esquimalt. “I’d like to know what those services are so we can have a conversation about whether or not we want to continue to cost-share them,” she said.
The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board budget — $72.1 million this year — is shared between the two municipalities. Victoria is responsible for just over 86 per cent, around $62.27 million in 2024, with Esquimalt picking up the rest.
This year’s police budget is $4.6 million higher (6.86 per cent) than 2023’s.
Cull said the priorities she heard at Victoria council align with those in the community.
The police board’s finance committee started meeting in May with community organizations, neighbourhood groups, the business community and social service organizations to gauge their concerns.
Cull will next present a preliminary budget to the police board before the board meets with Victoria and Esquimalt councils together in mid-October.
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