Welcoming New Faces

On May 2, we welcomed seven new recruits and on June 5 we welcomed two experienced officers to the VicPD family. Each recruit brings an extensive amount of volunteering and community service experience that will equip them to serve the communities of Victoria and Esquimalt.

To date, we have hired 14 new recruits and three experienced officers this year, with six more recruits to be sworn-in in September, and our January class quickly being selected. We are close to our goal of hiring 24 in ‘24, and with a goal of 30 new recruits in 2025, it’s still a great time to Join VicPD.

Proactive Bike and Foot Patrols

The patrol teams continue to deploy foot patrol officers to the downtown core area to provide a more robust police presence and respond to community needs, in response to community requests for officers to be more visible and talk to people, as reflected in the VicPD Community Survey.

A pilot project was initiated with two patrol teams to determine the capacity for patrol officers to deploy on mountain bikes.  A small group of officers were provided training and have begun to deploy sporadically on mountain bikes during shifts. The officers respond to calls in the downtown core on mountain bikes and provide a visible police presence in the area. In addition to being highly visible, they have also made warrant arrests, investigated criminal activity and engaged with the community.

Patrol teams continue to focus on several proactive initiatives including retail and bike thefts. A small-scale proactive project at a downtown retail outlet resulted in numerous arrests and thousands of dollars in stolen property returned.

Reserves

Victoria Police Department currently has 75 reserve constables, with 10 recently graduating in June. In this quarter, VicPD Reserves conducted 163 hours of proactive uniformed patrols in Victoria and Esquimalt.

Missing Persons

From April 1 – June 30, Community Services Division handled 301 Missing Persons files, all of which were resolved. Having such a high success rate in reuniting missing people with their loved ones emphasizes VicPD’s commitment to ensuring reports of missing people are addressed in a timely and sensitive manner. We have dedicated Missing Persons coordinators responsible for the oversight and support functions for all Missing Persons’ investigations, ensuring that each file is reviewed, monitored and compliant with the BC Provincial Policing Standards. For more information, visit Missing People – VicPD.ca

Ongoing Demonstrations

VicPD officers and the Greater Victoria Public Safety Unit, continue to monitor and support ongoing weekly demonstrations, as well as additional pop-up demonstrations. VicPD recognizes everyone’s right to freedom of expression and lawful assembly, and to demonstrate in public spaces as protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Strike Force Covert Drug Trafficking Operation

In April, details were released from a covert Strike Force investigation that recovered over $48,000 worth in stolen merchandise and thousands of suspected opioid pills. During the investigation, which began in late February of 2024, the suspect was observed making several visits to a storage locker in Sooke. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the storage locker and located various illicit substances and approximately $48,000 worth of brand-new merchandise believed to be stolen, including:

• 4,054 suspected oxycodone pills

• 554 grams of cocaine

• 136 grams of methamphetamine

• 10 vacuums

• Five Kitchen Aid mixers

• A Milwaukee miter saw, chainsaws, drills, a metal detector and various other tools, clothing, and accessories

Calls for Service

Quarter 2 saw an increased volume in calls for service responded to by patrol officers responded that coincided with the better weather, as we normally see at this time of year.  Numerous critical incidents and calls that required a significant amount of Patrol Division resources, most notably several stabbings and the shooting on Lyall St in Esquimalt.

Overall, dispatched calls for service increased over the last quarter, and over the same time period last year. Looking more closely at the categories, we saw a significant increase in calls for Social Order and in the Other category, though calls for Property Crime retained the drop we saw in Q1.

Files of Note:

Bookkeeper Defrauded Non-Profit Over $1.7 Million Dollars | 24-45435

In April, charges were laid against the accused who defrauded a non-profit organization in Victoria, where she worked as a bookkeeper. This was a several months-long investigation by VicPD’s Major Crime Unit, which successfully recovered most of the stolen funds. Additional work has been ongoing to recover the full amount; much of which was used to purchase various assets including gold, cryptocurrency and a new vehicle.

Officers Respond To Seven Stabbings In Six Weeks | 24-11002, 24-12134 & 24-12873

From March 1 to April 15, officers responded to seven stabbing incidents, two of which were suspected homicides. However, they were all believed to be isolated incidents. In response, VicPD officers have been conducting more patrols in the downtown core, including foot patrols, and will continue this proactive work to ensure that Victoria continues to be a safe community. Charges have been laid in one of the homicides and the other is an ongoing VIIMCU investigation.

Carjacker Arrested Three Days In A Row | 24-13981, 24-13780 & 24-13664

In April a male was arrested by VicPD Patrol officers after he attempted to steal an occupied vehicle in the 2900-block of Shelbourne Street. He was arrested again the following day when he pushed a woman and stole her car in the 1000-block of Johnson Street. During that incident, the accused caused two motor vehicle collisions and fled the scene on foot before attempting to steal another vehicle. He was released after his court appearance, when he entered a home and stole a wallet. The home was occupied at the time and the occupant followed when he left. While fleeing the area, the suspect attempted to get into an idling and occupied vehicle parked in the 1800-block of Fort Street, but the driver prevented his entry. He was then arrested by police in the 1900-block of Richardson Street and was finally held in custody.

Suspects Target Unhoused In Bear Spray Spree | 24-18392

Police received a report of several people being bear sprayed on Queens Avenue. Minutes later, another report was received of three suspects bear spraying people in the 900-Block of Pandora Avenue. The scene was chaotic, with many suffering from the effects of the spray. Officers located the three suspects, one of which was stabbed, and arrested them for assault with a weapon. The stabbed individual was taken to hospital. Charges were laid in July and the matter is currently before the courts.

Youth Pepper Sprayed And Assaulted Downtown | 24-16204

Following an increase in youth-on-youth assaults, investigators released CCTV footage of a bear spray incident downtown to seek witnesses or information to help identify the suspects. Three suspects who are believed to be youths swarmed, sprayed and kicked another youth downtown. The video received a lot of attention, garnering over 65,000 views across VicPD’s social media platforms, and elicited people to come forward with information.

Machete-Wielding Carjacker Arrested In Multi-Jurisdictional Incident | 24-19029

In a collaborative effort by VicPD, Saanich Police and West Shore RCMP, a female was arrested following a robbery involving a taxi. The suspect hailed the taxi and requested a ride to several locations. When the driver asked the suspect to pay the fare, she then threatened the driver with a machete and drove off with the taxi, leaving the driver on the sidewalk. VicPD officers were able to monitor the stolen vehicle’s location, and it was brought to a stop By West Shore RCMP using a spike belt. Charges were laid against the accused.

Intoxicated Male With Knife Provokes Lockdown At Local School | 24-20884

The principal at a school with Kindergarten to Grade 8 students called 911 after witnessing a male circling school grounds while openly holding a knife. The male suspect departed before police arrived, but, through the investigation, he was identified as a male known to police with a history of deteriorating mental health who resides in a supportive housing unit next to the school. Charges of possession of an unauthorized weapon and possession of weapon for a dangerous purpose were approved and laid against the accused.

Major Crime Unit Investigating Shooting Incident | File: 24-21157 

Patrol investigators responded to a report of multiple shots fired outside a residence in Esquimalt involving subjects known to the police. Shortly after Police received the call, two males arrived at VGH. Their vehicle had multiple bullet holes. The two occupants both had gunshot wound injuries. Police managed a large crime scene (including roadway) surrounding the Lyall Street residence. The file is still actively being investigated.