City of Victoria: 2023 – Q3
As part of our ongoing Open VicPD transparency initiative, we introduced Community Safety Report Cards as a way to keep everyone up to date with how the Victoria Police Department is serving the public. These report cards, which are published quarterly in two community-specific versions (one for Victoria and one for Esquimalt), offer both quantitative and qualitative information about crime trends, operational incidents, and community engagement initiatives. It is hoped that, through this proactive sharing of information, our citizens have a better understanding of how VicPD is working toward its strategic vision of “A Safer Community Together.”
Victoria Community Information
Overview
The summer quarter kicked off with a very busy Canada Day as we returned to pre-COVID festivities in the city. Our officers, reserves, and staff were on hand to ensure the Canada Day events in Victoria were safe for everyone.
Major Crimes detectives had success in arresting an arson suspect who is suspected of causing more than $2 Million in damage in Victoria and Nanaimo, and were a contributing agency to a large financial fraud file. VicPD’s Strike Force also assisted with surveillance on a number of files for outside agencies which have led to arrests.
Patrol and Community Services officers conducted additional foot patrols throughout the downtown core as requested by, and with the $35,000 in funding provided by City Council. These overtime shifts provided an additional presence and many opportunities for residents and tourists alike to get to know some of our officers.
We also welcomed five new officers to VicPD in July as they completed their first block of training at the Justice Institute of BC.
Calls for Service
Quarter 3 saw a jump in the overall calls for service, as we often see at this time of year, but dispatched calls were in-line with the same time period last year.
When we look at the 6 broad call categories for Victoria, we see a significant jump in the number of calls for social order, but not as significant an increase as over the same period last year. However, we didn’t see the same jump in social order calls between Q2 and Q3 last year. Overall, calls of all types increased over the summer quarter, as is usual.
In Q3, the CRT handled approximately 181 files as primary investigators. Although we don’t highlight specific files related to mental health, the impact of this team has been significant both in terms of ensuring Patrol officers are more available to respond to crime-related calls, and in ensuring that citizens and responding health care professionals, are safe in time of crisis.
Specifically of interest to Victoria, bike thefts are down significantly this year, and overall down almost 50% since 2015. Some of this may be due to under-reporting, and we encourage citizens to report both stolen and found bikes using our online reporting tool. 
Files of Note
Files: 23-24438, 23-24440 Robbery With a Hammer
Patrol officers were called to a consignment store in the 1800-block of Oak Bay Avenue, just before 5 pm on July 6. Staff advised a man used a hammer to break open a jewelry case and steal 10 pieces of jewelry valued just under $20,000. The suspect fled on his bike and collided into the rear of a responding police vehicle, then took off on foot.
The suspect had a recent history of similar robberies and was held in custody for several charges.
File: 23-27326 Two People Assaulted After Approaching Man Lighting Fire
Just after 7 pm on Wednesday, July 26, Patrol officers responded to a report of a disturbance in the 1300-block of Fort Street. Officers determined that a 67-year-old woman had been struck in the face and a 66-year-old man had been pushed after approaching a man who was lighting grass on fire in front of an apartment building. The suspect also tried to strike a third person but was unsuccessful.
The suspect fled the scene on foot and was arrested a short distance away by officers.
The woman suffered potentially life-altering injuries and was transported to hospital. The suspect faces aggravated assault and assault charges and was held in custody to appear in court.
File: 23-34434 Concealed Firearm in Mall
On September 15, security from a mall in the 3100-block of Douglas Street called to report a man who possessed a large knife and appeared to be intoxicated. Mall security asked the individual to leave, and they exited towards their motorcycle in the mall parking lot when police attended. A search was conducted for officer safety, which revealed a firearm, in addition to drugs and cash. The man was held in custody on firearm and drug charges.
Files: Various Arrest Made in Series of Arson Investigations
Major Crimes detectives made an arrest on August 27 as a result of an investigation into a series of arsons that occurred earlier this summer in Victoria and Saanich. The suspect was charged with four counts of arson relating to the following incidents:
June 23 – 2500-block Government Street – A vehicle was set on fire at a rental business causing considerable damage to a vehicle. An officer who was driving by noticed the fire and was able to quickly extinguish it.
July 12 – 2300-block Government Street – Items in a loading area of a business were set on fire.
July 12 – 2500-block Government Street – A vehicle was set on fire at a dealership, causing significant damage to several vehicles.
August 16 – 700-block Tolmie Avenue (Saanich) – Items in a loading zone area were set on fire.
While no one was injured in any of these fires, they resulted in significant damage to property.
Large Demonstration Activity
We also saw a significant event on the Legislative grounds in Q3, when two opposing groups demonstrated on the same day, with approximately 2,500 people in attendance. The tension and conflict quickly escalated and violent action led to a call-out for all available officers working that day to attend. With the continued tension and dynamics, and the size of the crowd in attendance, we determined that the environment was no longer safe for planned activities, such as speeches and a march, to continue and we issued a statement asking everyone to leave the area.
VicPD Volunteers conducted Bike Patrol and Foot Patrol shifts throughout the city this summer, including many parks and trails. Although they can’t respond to incidents in progress, their presence provides a deterrent to crime and because they are connected by radio, they can call in anything they observe directly to E-Comm.
Traffic officers and VicPD Volunteers also conducted Back to School speed awareness throughout Victoria over the first two weeks of September. This was accompanied by a Back to School safety campaign on our social media channels.
In September, VicPD Reserves supported a Project 529 event at the City of Victoria Bike Valet encouraging citizens to register their bikes and providing crime prevention tips for bike theft.
Finally, we welcomed 12 new VicPD Volunteers at the end of August. We are now at 74 civilian volunteers, which is the largest our program has been in recent memory.
The summer quarter is one of our busiest times for Community Engagement, with attendance and participation in numerous events and festivals, and a lot of opportunities for our officers to interact with the public during tourist season. You can find many of our Community Engagement activities on our social media channels, but it’s difficult to capture all the ways that our officers are proactively reaching out to citizens on a daily basis.
In addition to Department-led activities, our Community Resource Officers were busy maintaining relationships and addressing concerns throughout the City. They also hosted Coffee with a Cop in early July and co-hosted an End Gang Life presentation to parents near the end of the month. A highlight of the summer was hosting bike rodeos and skills classes for children at a Burnside-Gorge Community event and in the Selkirk area.
Community Services Division officers also attended Sunrise retirement home to make pizzas with the residents, and participated in the Run to Remember.
On July 1, VicPD supported the Capital’s Canada Day celebrations, ensuring a safe and family-friendly event for everyone.
On July 4, we kicked off NHL Street in Victoria with a puck-drop ceremony. This four-week program was a huge hit over the summer, and we’ll be offering it again in 2024.
On July 8, we celebrated both the Festival Mexicano and Festival of India
Chief Manak inspired youth at youth summer camps held in Oaklands and at the Gurdwara.
On August 26, VicPD officers greeted Sachin Latti at the finish line as he completed 22 marathons in 22 days to benefit first responders and veterans.
On September 24, VicPD hosted hundreds of police officers from across the province for the BC Law Enforcement Memorial. This annual event was especially poignant this year, as it occurred shortly after yet another officer was killed in the line of duty in BC.
On September 25, VicPD hosted the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness for a matinee movie.
VicPD Spokesperson Terri Healy also inspired youth and connected with the community with a visit to Glenlyon Norfolk’s back to school event.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, the net financial position aligned with the budget approved by the Police Board and approximately 2% above that approved by councils. Salaries, benefits, and overtime were in line with the approved budget. Expenditures for retirements, building operations, and professional fees were over the approved budget. Capital expenditures were below budget and are expected to remain below budget due to the cancellation of a capital project to preserve reserve balances and as a result of reductions made to the capital reserve through the budget process.