Victoria, BC – During his remarks at today’s press conference on the OPCC findings in the Elsner matter, Chief Del Manak made reference to an internal message that he sent out to VicPD officers and staff. Media members of our community asked for a copy of the message and in the spirit of transparency, we’re sharing it below.
Chief Manak’s internal message was sent Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 at just after noon.
Hello everyone,
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner issued a news release and a report regarding Mr. Elsner today. You can read them here: https://opcc.bc.ca/media-room/media-releases/.
This OPCC report marks the end of a very long and challenging process and I want to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to every one of you.
Throughout this long process, you carried on with your work with the professionalism that our citizens have come to expect from us. You stayed true to your profession, never losing sight of our job to serve the citizens of Victoria and Esquimalt.
I want to make one more point: the behaviour that was at the centre of this investigation is not, and will not, be tolerated at VicPD. There is no room in our organization for inappropriate behaviour, engaging in misleading actions, or misuse of equipment.
Further to this point, I want to applaud those who witnessed this type of behaviour and reported it. Your courage to take a stand and speak up is something you should be very proud of. Because of you, our organization is stronger and ready to take on the challenges of the future.
Thank you,
Chief Manak
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