518 replies to this topic

[concorde]

^yes, VicPD spends about the same as Abbotsford PD overall.

 

Not sure why I should give up any of my police force to deal with the City of Victoria's problems.  Just like its not my problem that the City let the JSB fall apart

[Rob Randall]

^yes, VicPD spends about the same as Abbotsford PD overall.

 

Not sure why I should give up any of my police force to deal with the City of Victoria's problems.  Just like its not my problem that the City let the JSB fall apart

 

A rather selfish attitude. As if all calls involve people with Victoria addresses. You only have to go out on Saturday night and see the young boozed-up crowds on Shelbourne St or other municipal bus routes waiting for the bus to take them downtown. Downtown and the city of Victoria is the hub of the region and people from all over come here for good and bad. Or maybe your aunt is driving downtown to an appointment and needs medical attention or gets into a car accident. I think you'd be surprised to learn the home addresses of the citizens the Vic PD serves every day.

 

And the downtown case load can be more difficult than in the 'burbs where the Oak Bay Police is busy keeping people from walking on the grass and breaking up house parties. A street person acting out can be a very difficult situation to manage, and can involve hours of time spent in Emergency or processing through the drunk tank or jail or with the social service agencies. The other CRD cops rarely have to deal with this.

 

So you can dismiss this as merely "Victoria's problems" but you are mistaken.

[Bingo]

 An Oak Bay homeowner was attacked by a burglar when he interrupted the break-in Wednesday evening.(August 2014) 

The homeowner was left with serious injuries to his arm. The burglar fled but was arrested early this morning in Victoria.Police were called to the home and were able to identify a suspect who is known to police. A region-wide bulletin was broadcast to Greater Victoria police agencies and at 5:45 a.m. today the man was arrested downtown by Victoria police.

http://www.timescolo...rglar-1.1322815

 

A suspect has been charged in the Tuesday break-in that left an Oak Bay resident with a slash on his face.(September 2014)

The break-in was on Foul Bay Road, near Runnymede Avenue. A homeowner saw a man enter his house and chased him out, then continued the chase into a neighbouring yard. Once the homeowner caught up, the suspect produced a knife and cut him. Oak Bay police were called by a witness.

Shaun Clifford Wickens, 37, has been charged with breaking-and-entering, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, uttering threats and carrying a concealed weapon. He has been remanded in custody. - See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.1t4b7FO6.dpuf

[concorde]

A rather selfish attitude. As if all calls involve people with Victoria addresses. You only have to go out on Saturday night and see the young boozed-up crowds on Shelbourne St or other municipal bus routes waiting for the bus to take them downtown. Downtown and the city of Victoria is the hub of the region and people from all over come here for good and bad. Or maybe your aunt is driving downtown to an appointment and needs medical attention or gets into a car accident. I think you'd be surprised to learn the home addresses of the citizens the Vic PD serves every day.

 

And the downtown case load can be more difficult than in the 'burbs where the Oak Bay Police is busy keeping people from walking on the grass and breaking up house parties. A street person acting out can be a very difficult situation to manage, and can involve hours of time spent in Emergency or processing through the drunk tank or jail or with the social service agencies. The other CRD cops rarely have to deal with this.

 

So you can dismiss this as merely "Victoria's problems" but you are mistaken.

Why don't you look up how many high rises both office and residential exist outside Victoria proper as well as look at the amount of money collected by the amount of commercial property taxes and parking fees collected by the City of Victoria on an annual basis.  Then compare that to what the rest of the region has and you will soon discover that Victoria has a massive tax base

 

Just a quick check and the City of Victoria collects $15.6 million in parking revenue every year alone.  How much does Saanich, View Royal, Oak Bay collect?  well I don't remember ever having to pay to park in those areas.  $15.6 million alone pays for half of Victoria's police budget

[Mike K.]

If 150,000 people descended onto the streets of downtown Saanich every day you bet they'd have to charge for parking.

[concorde]

^show me the stats that says 150,000 are in downtown everyday because that's 43% of the regions population and very hard to believe

[Bingo]

Where is downtown Saanich?

 

All of their major shopping centres have free parking.

[Mike K.]

^show me the stats that says 150,000 are in downtown everyday because that's 43% of the regions population and very hard to believe

 

VicPD:

 

The department is dealing with a “core city phenomenon”. That is, as with other major centres,
Victoria and Esquimalt have high ambient populations because they are tourist destinations,
major work locations, and places people go to for night life and major events. While Victoria and
Esquimalt have a combined population of about 100,000 residents, some 375,000 people regularly
work and recreate in the city core and an additional 3.2 million tourists visit downtown Victoria
every year. As a result of this core city phenomenon, higher concentrations of criminals are
attracted to the core, resulting in an increased number of calls for service and an increased call
load.

 

https://www.vicpd.ca...action_plan.pdf

 

According to the 2006 census there are over 40,000 individuals commuting into Victoria every day, vast majority of whom are employed downtown. On average 10,000 visitors are downtown every day, then consider the throngs who come downtown for entertainment, cultural events, shopping, etc. Every single day the City of Victoria doubles if not triples in population.

[concorde]

According to the 2006 census there are over 40,000 individuals commuting into Victoria every day, vast majority of whom are employed downtown. On average 10,000 visitors are downtown every day, then consider the throngs who come downtown for entertainment, cultural events, shopping, etc. Every single day the City of Victoria doubles if not triples in population.

Umm, the City of Victoria total population is 80,023 according to Wikipedia.  This article says 50,000 come to the City so the City of Victoria needs another 110,000 daily visitors to even double in population

 

regardless of the number, every one of those visitors is paying parking taxes and every portion of their purchase or lunch out is paying taxes used to help support the citys infrastructure including police

[Intercontinental]

To me, integration of emergency services across the region is perhaps the most logical (and most valuable) partial step to municipal amalgamation.  As much as it might pain all the other municipalities to create a comprehensive police/fire service, no one can argue that the jurisdictional boundaries are limiting the ability for laws to be suitably and consistently enforced. 

An amalgamated police/fire service, not municipal amalgamation, should have been the ballot question for this past municipal election.

[sebberry]

Welcome to the forum, Intercontinental!

[Intercontinental]

Thank you!

 

Welcome to the forum, Intercontinental!

[Bingo]

A Saanich police officer under investigation for using images of tactical team members and training videos to promote a workout video has resigned from the department. On Tuesday, Lamb tendered his resignation, which Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Steve Eassie said will take effect “in the near future.” “Only Todd would be able to provide information about the reasons for his decision,” Eassie said. “I can advise that this was not a result of a discipline by the department.”

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.Q1pQV5vp.dpuf

 

 

[SusanJones]

An Esquimalt Councillor shared "A Review of the Evidence on the Impacts of Amalgamating Police Services in Canadian and American Local Governments By Justin Farrell B.A., University of Western Ontario, 2010 M.A., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2012" and made the following comment about police amalgamation:

 

"I"n terms of general findings, most of the literature on police amalgamation indicates that police services do not benefit from overall economies of scale, that is, lower costs per unit of service for larger police departments. Most studies suggest that police amalgamations lead to decreased service levels and increased costs, though, there are exceptions. In terms of size, there is little evidence that indicates that large police departments outperform small departments; in fact, a preponderance of the evidence suggests the opposite. "

 

The organization Amalgamation Yes has supplied links to many studies here: http://www.amalgamat...h--studies.html

and the local Chamber of Commerce has something to say about police amalgamation here: http://www.victoriac...x?ContentID=105

 

Let's get that amalgamation study specific to Greater Victoria done. A study that includes police amalgamation, information that a majority of the population would like to have.  

 

 

 

 

[Nparker]

...Let's get that amalgamation study specific to Greater Victoria done. A study that includes police amalgamation, information that a majority of the population would like to have.  

THIS!

[SusanJones]

THIS!

 

They get a 'study', even paid for by Province!, and they didn't even have a referendum.  

North Westside governance gains momentum

 

“He says he supports a governance study and the government will fund it,” said Carson.

“There was no conversation. He had already made up his mind.”

Fassbender’s pledge comes despite the Regional District of Central Okanagan board not acting on Carson’s request for a resolution backing a study. Instead, the board says it wants more information from the ministry.

http://www.vernonmor.../395462341.html

(If the results are so dire, so expensive and so not working all those 'other' amalgamation studies indicate why bother with a study in this case?)

Edited by SusanJones, 16 October 2016 - 04:30 PM.

[57WestHills]

If I were in charge:
West Shore + Sooke + Shawnigan

Central Saanich + Sidney / North Saanich

Victoria

Saanich + Oak Bay + Esquimalt

That would be a good balance of force size to area served to file load to demographic type. Plus, right now Central Saanich & Sidney / North Saanich and Saanich / Oak Bay are already attached at the figurative hip.

[VicHockeyFan]

Can anybody say with a straight face that Central Saanich having their own department makes sense?  Now, I'll give you this, they may have a low crime rate, but it's not because their PD is so small or efficient.

[57WestHills]

... and Oak Bay even more so who contracts out everything except Patrol, one investigator, and schools. I think they may also have someone rotating through the various Reguonal units.