West Shore RCMP exits three regional policing programs

Victoria Police Chief Del Manak said on Saturday that new rifts in regional policing were taking the capital region backwards at the expense of overall community safety and consistency of service.

West Shore RCMP has announced it will withdraw from three regional police units that handle intimate partner domestic violence, at-risk youth and a mobile crisis intervention team focusing on mental health. They will leave the regional youth and mental health teams at the end of 2025 and the domestic violence team at the end of 2026. The RCMP says these moves will improve policing on the West Coast.

“It is disappointing to see people doubling down and creating their own areas of expertise at the expense of a regional approach when we know we live in a region and not just within a municipality,” Manak said.

“I do not support police departments deciding to separate and only provide the best service they can for their residents.”

Manak said a regional approach provides better continuity of service and the ability to build better trust and relationships. “You have less risk of being overlooked in a potential police incident or police investigation.”

A regional approach is needed, he said, because people move around a lot more, especially when it comes to intimate partner violence. People will move from relationship to relationship, but what does not change are the patterns of behavior or violence.

The regional domestic violence team was formed in 2010 following the 2007 murder of six-year-old Christian Lee by his father Peter Lee, who killed his wife Sunny Park and her family in Oak Bay and then took his own life.

In the weeks before the murders, Sunny Park filed complaints about domestic violence with three municipal police departments.

The investigation revealed that the child’s death could have been prevented if there was a coordinated system in the fight against domestic violence.

Manak said it makes sense to have a community-responsible regional unit that handles case management of high-risk individuals.

He said citizens want a unified collective service that can intervene regardless of where a criminal offense is taking place or where police intervention may be required.

The regional mobile youth services team works with young people who move frequently throughout the region. They can be abused, become addicted to drugs, and suffer from mental health problems.

This team brings familiar trusted faces to help stabilize youth in a healthy and safe environment. Without that, they may have to turn to partner organizations, consultants and multiple police officers, Manak said.

He fears that opting out of services could lead to different levels of service being provided in different jurisdictions. “I don’t think this is the way forward and I don’t think it’s in the interest of what I call overall public safety.”

Manak said West Shore RCMP’s decision was made without consulting regional police departments. Central Saanich is also giving up regional teams in 2025.

When partners leave regional teams, costs will increase for remaining members, he said.

The Women’s Transitional Home Association of Victoria says it is “saddened” to see West Shore RCMP leave its well-functioning regional domestic violence unit.

Susan Howard, director of development and communications, said the unit was “created in 2010 in response to a gap in cross-jurisdictional cooperation and coordination in the highest risk intimate partner violence cases across the region.”

West Shore RCMP said it has established its own similar services that have proven effective in its fast-growing region as it tries to make the best use of available money.

View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias does not expect to see gaps in services under decommissioning plans and foresees further innovation in policing solutions. “Quite simply, it focuses on delivery that will be tailored to meet the needs of communities on the West Coast.

“Very few other police services have what the West Coast RCMP has recently developed in its mental health and substance abuse unit.”

West Coast RCMP Superintendent Todd Preston said the rapidly growing population on the West Coast is creating a need for improved policing services. “Staying abreast of current trends and community needs is a top priority for our detachment, so reinvesting our resources to support existing and new West Shore RCMP units will better serve our communities.”

West Shore RCMP contributes $74,345 annually to its mobile crisis response team; It pays $37,349 to its youth services team and $121,827 plus $115,350 (a police officer’s salary) to be part of the domestic violence unit.

The company launched its own mental health unit in February, which not only replicates the service but also goes beyond what is provided regionally, Preston said.

As of July, 513 of 944 calls for mental health services were responded to. By comparison, the regional unit responded to just 35 calls for service on the West Coast between January 2023 and July 2024, he said.

The regional mobile youth unit responded to just 15 calls for service on the West Coast between January 2023 and July 2024, Preston said.

He said there is one police officer and one social worker shared among the six police agencies in the area.

West Shore RCMP has its own youth outreach officer who works with a Pacific Central Family Services Association counselor. The team is supported by the community policing unit based in schools.

West Shore RCMP created a close partner violence investigator position in the spring and will expand to two full-time officers in spring 2026, Preston said.

He said the new intimate partner violence unit would be supported by the existing special victims unit of four officers and an investigation support team expected to operate with five officers in November.

“We are currently evaluating what West Shore RCMP’s decision will mean for our department and may have more to say at a later date,” Saanich police spokesman Jason Hollman said in a statement Saturday. He said Saanich police recognize the value regional police units provide to the safety and security of Saanich residents.

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Dejardins said agencies are looking at the value of the dollar as the cost of police services continues to rise and recognizes the growth happening on the West Side. He said some municipalities use regional teams a lot, while others do not.

(email protected)

>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: (email protected)