A majority of officers and civilians employed by the Victoria Police Department describe their workplace as “toxic,” “negative” and “micromanaged.”
That’s the finding of a 186-page study, funded by both the police union and senior management, that looked into the well-being and mental health of Victoria police officers and civilian staff, and examined the department’s ability to respond to their needs.
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak and union president Len Hollingsworth released a joint statement Wednesday, encouraging all staff to read the report while they review the recommendations.
“We welcome the information gathered in this report, as it will inform ways in which we can improve our workplace culture and help our people meet the challenges of our current operational environment … Gathering honest reflections from our team is a critical step in developing strategies to support the health and well-being of our staff,” they said.
The study found low levels of morale and high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. Twenty-two per cent of officers and 24 per cent of civilians report clinical symptoms of PTSD. About 50 officers are on leave for various reasons. Patrol shifts are struggling to meet minimum staffing levels.
The study found the workplace culture is characterized by lack of trust and little communication between senior management and officers, “and a senior management team that is preoccupied with external events and stakeholders to the perceived detriment of the officers.”
Bullying and harassment are not the sources of stress, the researchers concluded.
“For many officers, the dynamics of life inside the building are more challenging than those faced on the street,” the study found.
Decision-making is not transparent, and rumours and stress surround impending decisions into which the rank-and-file have little input, it says.
“They also feel their opinions do not count in the organization and there will be consequences should they speak up and express their views. This includes disclosing mental health challenges.”
Both civilian employees and officers generally spoke favourably of their direct supervisors and were most likely to disclose their mental-health issues to them.
Officers identified workload, internal politics, lack of support from councils, the demands of frontline policing and police oversight as the top five stressors. Officers and civilians want to improve communication with “distant” senior managers.
A significant number of officers said the department was “an unhealthy environment” and their mental health wasn’t valued.
Staff say they often feel as if they are treated as a “resource” rather than a person. In addition, officers who are away from the department on leave often feel isolated and forgotten.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said the police board was very concerned when it learned that officers don’t feel they have the support from the department that they need to do their jobs.
“I’m glad, and the board is glad, that the chief and the union are going to take joint action to make VicPd a healthier workplace when it comes to taking mental-health issues and stress-related injuries seriously, providing the supports that are needed,” said Helps, co-chair of the police board.
“It’s probably a bit of a wake-up call for the department, for the management, for the union and for the board. The only thing you can do after getting survey results like this is take the recommended actions and make the workplace better.”
The mayor said she supports the creation of a disability prevention and return-to-work co-ordinator, which the union has requested.
“With mental-health injuries, the more support people have, the more they feel supported, the sooner they can return to work and that takes some of the stress off their colleagues. This survey will hopefully make this position come to reality pretty quickly.”
Helps says she wholeheartedly supports the officers and the police department. She advised those who don’t feel supported by council to “block out the comments they hear from individual councillors” and look at council’s record of endorsing and supporting the police budget each year.
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said there are many things in the survey the police board has to take a look at.
“I know the chief and senior management are working with the union on how to move things forward. The board wants to understand all of the steps and what we can do,” said Desjardins, who co-chairs the police board with Helps.
Clearly, the officers have been under a lot of stress as front-line workers during COVID and dealing with significant challenges in Victoria, she said.
The Mental Health and Well-Being Project was prepared by Curt Griffiths of Simon Fraser University’s school of criminology, Eli Sopow of University Canada West and Joshua Murphy of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s department of criminology.
Seventy-nine per cent of officers and 47 per cent of civilians responded to an online survey, answering questions about workplace culture, stress and stressors, stigma and psychological health.
