Statement of Superintendent Todd Preston, Officer in Charge, West Shore RCMP

In response to an article in the Times Colonist on November 10, 2024 where Chief Del Manak expressed disappointment in our departure from Regional Units, I would like to add the following perspective:

The West Shore RCMP is a Regional Police Service which offers policing to 7 communities on the West Shore including: Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin, Highlands, Esquimalt First Nation and Songhees First Nation. We have repeatedly highlighted the benefits and efficiencies of integrated police service delivery while meeting the needs of the various Chiefs, Mayors and Councils.

Victoria’s demographic, governance and policing requirements are very different than that of the West Shore. Many of the Regional Units have long focussed on complex issues associated to the downtown core of Victoria which has left gaps in the outlying municipalities. Citizens on the West Shore deserve to have access to critical resources when required. Currently within these models, a disproportionate amount of time is being spent outside the West Shore and neighbouring communities despite the significant contributions being paid into these teams.

Community priorities vary significantly, and it is important to be able to pivot, adapt and shift when the disparity begins to impact service to the public. This is the very role of the Police Chief. It is my job to weigh the capacity of integrated units against their ability to serve the West Shore.

A recent example of this is the Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team (IMCRT), which is comprised of a multidisciplinary team who addressed only 35 calls on the West Shore throughout 2023. With the support of our Municipalities and the Province, we created our own team, and our Mental Health Crisis Response Team has attended 513 calls on the West Shore in the first 6 months of 2024. This is a marked improvement in service to our community – especially for those citizens that find themselves in a crisis.

Another example is the Mobile Youth Services Team (MYST) which is comprised of one police officer and one social worker for the entire Capital Regional District (CRD). With this model we again found ourselves unable to meet the demands of our growing communities and could not provide adequate service to the youth on the West Shore. In 2021, with the support of the West Shore Mayor and Councils, we created our own Youth Outreach Team comprised of one officer and one dedicated youth counsellor from Pacific Centre Family Services. This Youth Outreach Team provides the West Shore with a service that mirrors the integrated MYST model for the CRD, but specifically serves the 7 communities that comprise the West Shore Detachment. Our Youth Outreach Team has allowed MYST to focus their efforts on other areas of the CRD as West Shore RCMP is able to address local concerns.

We acknowledge the important work being done by the Regional Domestic Violence Unit (RDVU). Since RDVU’s inception we have improved training, oversight and the sharing of information under the guidance of Provincial Policing Standards by improving the quality of investigations and outcomes for all partners in the Criminal Justice System. The continued work toward the creation of an Intimate Partner Violence Team at the West Shore Detachment over the next 2 years will provide dedicated police and civilian resources to investigate and monitor the most serious reports of domestic violence. Where required, our unit will certainly monitor, liaise and share intelligence with partner agencies.

Each police agency and the communities they serve have different priorities which occasionally requires service delivery to be modified. Teams and regional integration of units must benefit all parties and are best suited for communities that are aligned with similar demographics and priorities.

Just as it is inappropriate for me to comment on the deployment of police resources by any other municipality or their police service, I would suggest that determining the needs of the West Shore communities is best left to the Chiefs, Mayors, Councils and Chief of Police in our jurisdiction.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Todd Preston
Officer in Charge
West Shore RCMP