Operational Update

Support Community Safety

The first quarter of 2025 was busy with new training and the launch of several community initiatives.  

Q1 saw continued efforts by our Traffic Section to focus on community safety.  They conducted proactive work in the following three areas:  impaired driving, school zone education/enforcement, and high visibility at a number of intersections and locations which have been of concern to community members.   

Keeping Officers Safe - Patrol TEMS Medic Program 

Recognizing that Emergency Health Services (EHS) and Fire Department personnel will not enter a hot zone (threat area) or are often delayed in response times, policing has adapted to address the void in care by training officers to provide advanced medical care. Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) programs embedded in front-line Policing has saved officers’ lives and is now the gold standard for Police Departments within North America.   

 Advanced medical care for trauma that TEMS operators provide is comparable to the capabilities of a BCEHS Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic. Victoria Police Medics operate under the guidance of Medical Director Dr. Mark Vu, and have an on-call physician available at all times. 

 The Victoria Police Department TEMS program was created in 2018. At the onset of the program, four TEMS operators were identified with one assigned to each of Victoria Police Departments Patrol Watches. The Greater Victoria Police Emergency Response Team (GVERT) also has TEMS medics but with a gap in coverage for front-line Policing.   

In 2024, VicPD re-committed to the Patrol TEMS program and for the first time in the greater Victoria area, committed to designated TEMS positions. These officers have been trained and deployed within the Patrol Division during Q1 of 2025, providing near 24/7 coverage. 

 While intended to ensure officer safety, TEMS operators can also be used to provide medical aid during calls, as occurred in the first quarter during a suicide attempt.  

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Welcoming New Faces

In Q1, VicPD welcomed six Recruit Constables. Half of the new recruits were women, marking a significant step toward greater gender balance among our officers. Additionally, six auxiliary Special Municipal Constables and three civilian staff were hired. 

Training

This Quarter, VicPD added an additional module to our Supervisor Development Program (SDP).  SDP Module 6 - Respectful Workplace, which was developed and delivered by Marcia McNeil of Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP. We had 65 professional civilian staff and sworn leaders attend the half-day training, which augments the online Respectful Workplace training delivered department-wide in 2023-2024.  

As well, because BCPPS 5.4 (policy direction for Sexual Assault Investigations) was updated in 2024, members of the VicPD Special Victims Unit – Investigative Services Division, developed a training brief on the new standards and delivered it to our frontline and investigative staff. VicPD continues to source and provide updated training opportunities for members responsible for investigations involving vulnerable witnesses or victims (e.g. intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or other such investigations). 

VicPD’s Strike Force and the SPD’s Street Crime Unit taught a surveillance course for junior Patrol officers. 

Before the Badge 

As of January 2025, Recruit Constables are participating in the VicPD Before the Badge program. This program focuses on better understanding the community and people they will serve before putting on a uniform and attending the JIBC Police Academy for their formal training in law enforcement tactics. Aspects of the Before the Badge program also include professional development, wellness, department-based learning, and interpersonal relationships. Far surpassing the new BC Policing Standards, which require all officers to receive a comprehensive briefing about the community and citizens they serve, VicPD Before the Badge is an innovative program that increases community involvement in creating A Safer Community Together.  

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Launch of Women of VicPD Webpage 

For international Women’s Day, we launched the Women of VicPD page on our website. Featuring profiles, testimonials, history and data this page celebrates more than 100 years of women in uniform and leadership roles at VicPD. 

Mental Health & Wellbeing 

The Human Resources (HR) Division continues to provide support for several aspects of VicPD’s Roadmap for a Healthy & Inclusive Workplace. Most recently, HR launched a new program for sleep disorder screening and treatment provided virtually by HALEO. HALEO offers specialized programs targeting different sleep disorders, based on a clinically proven assessment process.  

Patrol Fleet Electrification Pilot 

The administrative fleet of Police vehicles has been transitioning toward electrification in recent years. However, further electrification of the operational fleet of patrol vehicles was unknown, as these vehicle are often driven 24/7. After the City of Victoria grants for charging stations to be installed at the Department was successfully completed, the first electric Patrol Police Vehicle was deployed in March as a trial, to be monitored for further potential electrification. The initial results are positive, and we have begun working on further electrification of the Patrol fleet. 

Calls for Service 

Calls for service in Esquimalt decreased since the last quarter but are slightly higher than the same period last year. Calls for Social Order decreased but remain much higher than the same time last year. Calls for Property crime went up over the last quarter and remain higher than Q1 2024. However, 2024 had a particularly low level of property crime over the five-year average. Calls for Traffic remained steady over Q4, but are higher than the same time last year, while calls for Violence dropped to below Q1 2024 levels.  

Patrol Bike and Beat Update 

In the first quarter the Patrol Division Bike and Beat officers responded to 230 calls for service: 

  

Call Type	Count
Public Disorder	102
Assist	50
Other	39
Property	26
Violence	9
Traffic	4
Total	230

Unwanted persons (64 calls), check wellbeing (20 calls), Disturbance (18), and Assist General Public/Other Agency/Police/Fire/Ambulance (19) made up 53% of the total calls. 

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Files of Note

25-4514 | Missing Person 

An 83-year-old woman with dementia went missing from a senior home during the evening and during adverse weather. Multiple units flooded the area, and officers successfully located her safe and unharmed.  

25-4252 | Fraud 

On February 4, VicPD was contacted by a victim who reported receiving a call from the VicPD non-emergency number displayed on their caller ID. The caller claimed the victim was under investigation for fraud and instructed them to withdraw $3,000 from the bank, go to a specific ATM to buy Bitcoin, and send it to a designated account. The victim withdrew the cash and sent $900 but chose to call police back before sending the remaining amount.  

The scammers used fake caller IDs and voice over IP addresses to make their calls look legitimate. The victim was told they were under investigation for fraud unless a fine was paid in Bitcoin. Unfortunately, in this case it is unlikely the victim’s money will be recovered. 

24-41846 | Drug Trafficking Investigation 

On February 7, following an extensive investigation, VicPD's Strike Force unit arrested a man and seized a significant quantity of illicit drugs. Covert tactics were used to surveil the suspect throughout the region. A search warrant was executed at the suspect's residence on Bear Mountain with assistance from the RCMP Island Emergency Response Team (ERT). Items seized include: $105,000 in cash, one kilogram of fentanyl, 20 liters of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), 13 ounces of methamphetamine, and six ounces of cocaine.  

The Strike Force also executed a search warrant on the suspect’s primary vehicle and with the assistance of an RCMP drug-interdiction canine, x-ray technology utilized by the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT), and trained officers in after-market compartments, located a professionally installed hidden compartment inside. The compartment required a specific sequence of buttons within the vehicle to be pressed in order to open. Seized from the compartment was: one kilogram of cocaine, 500 grams of fentanyl, 500 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded Glock handgun and a bag of ammunition. 

25-5194 | Homicide 

On February 12, Patrol officers responded to an apartment building in the 1100-block of Quadra Street, where they found a woman suffering from a stab wound. Despite emergency aid, the woman succumbed to her injuries. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) took over the investigation and Gregory Kushniryk faces one count of second-degree murder.  

25-5361 | Robbery  

On February 13, officers responded to an attempted robbery in the 1100-block of Esquimalt Road. The complainant reported that he was waiting at a bus stop with a friend when a group of teenagers approached them, demanded their wallets and threatened them with pepper spray. The suspects then boarded a bus and left the scene. Responding officers intercepted the bus and successfully arrested the suspects for robbery. 

25-5896 | Drug Trafficking Investigation 

In February, VicPD’s Strike Force conducted a three-day investigation, leading to the arrest of a drug trafficker operating across Vancouver Island. Covert tactics were used to observe the suspect trafficking drugs in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue and in various local supportive hosing facilities. A search warrant was executed at two of the suspects’ residences with the assistance of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT). The suspect was arrested and investigators seized $22,000 in cash, 150 hydromorphone pills, 236 grams of crack cocaine, 176 grams of fentanyl, and 480 packs of contraband cigarettes, the estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately $31,500 CAD. 

25-8047 | Mischief, Damaged Police Vehicle 

On March 6, VicPD received a report of a person causing a disturbance inside a building in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue. The individual was removed from the building and then allegedly proceeded to pick up a large orange pylon and swung it at a parked VicPD vehicle, causing significant damage and making the vehicle inoperable. Said Hassan was arrested and faces one charge of mischief over $5,000 and one charge of mischief by willfully obstructing, interrupting or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of a property. 

25-8684 | Assault Police 

On March 12, officers responded to a disturbance in the 1200-block of Esquimalt Road. Witnesses reported seeing a man throwing garbage cans and allegedly stealing items from a nearby gas station. When officers responded, the suspect ran from police and went into a grocery store in the 1300-block of Esquimalt Road. Officers followed the suspect to the back of the store. When officers approached the suspect, he pushed a roller chair at them and armed himself with a computer monitor. The suspect ignored the officers’ commands and resisted arrest, prompting police to use a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) commonly known as a taser. 

25-9555 | Mischief, Damaged Police Vehicles  

On March 18, two police vehicles were parked at VicPD HQ. A sergeant with quick instincts heard a loud crash and located the suspect, who resisted by throwing a book at the officer. Jimmy Temchuk faces one count of mischief under $5000, one count of obstructing a peace officer, and one count of failing to comply with a probation order. 

24-12722 | Child Pornography 

On March 27, after a lengthy investigation, 42-year-old Victoria man Clayton Thomas Fletcher has pled guilty to possession of child pornography, importing or distributing child pornography, and sexual assault, and has been sentenced to six and a half years in jail. Ancillary orders were also made, including a DNA order, a firearms prohibition for a term of 10 years, a SOIRA order (the national sex offender registry) for a term of 20 years, and a forfeiture order in relation to the items seized by police during the investigation.  Fletcher was arrested in April, 2024 and over the course of several months, more than 40 VicPD investigators worked to build a case against Fletcher. On October 10, 2024, charges were approved by Crown Counsel. Publication bans have been ordered by the court prohibiting the publication of anything that could identify the victims or witnesses in this case.