Feb 15, 2011
About every three to four months I feel compelled to start a blog on policing. Both the RCMP and some municipal police forces provide lots to comment about.
In this instance it’s the Victoria Police Department, which, following a trend popularized by cop shows, now calls itself the VicPD. The norm of violence on those shows—police vigilante justice, guns pulled, numerous killings— is not a good association for a police force interested in being seen as part of a healthy community. The new black muscle cars convey a similar threatening message.
I’ll disclose up-front that the VicPD currently polices Esquimalt, where I live. Esquimalt had its own police force until 2003, when the provincial government “amalgamated” Esquimalt’s municipal police force with Victoria’s due to a history of unacceptable audits. The Solicitor General’s forced amalgamation was supported by the council of the day. Problems soon emerged and within a short time most former Esquimalt police were gone. By the time I was elected to Esquimalt Council, where I served from December 2005 to November 2008, the problems were severe. Despite three years of discussion, the situation deteriorated further. The amalgamation now resembles a forced marriage gone awry.
As with failing marriages, much of the conflict relates to money. The provincial government set Esquimalt’s share of the Victoria Police Department’s budget at about 15%. When Esquimalt Council started to question the value we were getting for our money, the 85% majority grew heavy handed. For the most part, they told us to shut up and pay. They brushed off questions on the contrast between falling crime rates and continually rising police budgets. When we raised concerns that we were paying for policing of downtown Victoria, we were told that lots of Esquimalt residents were culpable in “late-night bar-related activities”.
Our occasional meetings with Victoria Council were a waste of time. Victoria Council rarely questioned the police board or chief. They seemed inclined to cave in to all police board demands, and saw us as obstructionist and out of line for questioning a budget item that relentlessly increased Esquimalt’s budget by two to three percent a year. Our municipality has additional needs. In my mind, not to question would have been irresponsible.
The next council asked that the Solicitor General audit the situation. This resulted in a task force to look at policing in Esquimalt. The SG then provided for Esquimalt to put its policing needs out to tender. This will happen shortly.
This is the background for my current outrage over two recent events.
First, VicPD Chief Jamie Graham called for the province to look at setting up a regional police force. The obvious assumption behind the proposal is that the VicPD would be the regional force. How do they expect to work with the whole region when they can’t even work out a good relationship with Esquimalt? And this from a police force that withdraws at will from integrated teams.
Second, one of Graham’s officers wrote a diatribe against Esquimalt Council in Friday’s Times Colonist. Here is just some of what he said: “I am incensed at the Esquimalt council’s criticism of the recent Victoria Police budget proposal, and its stubborn reluctance to accept what is needed for the safety of Esquimalt.” I don’t buy the article’s qualification that “This is the opinion of the writer, and does not reflect the position or opinion of the management team of the VicPD.”
John Luton, one of Victoria’s councilors said: “I don’t know whether we should take this to the white-collar crime unit for Esquimalt not living up to their contracts or treat it as a hostage-taking because we’re being held hostage in the discussions.” Since when iis raising legitimate questions a crime or hostage taking?
The BC Green Party supports replacing the RCMP with regional policing and a provincial police service. But as Esquimalt and Victoria’s failed amalgamation shows, before asking the province to set up a regional police service, we need a plan for doing it right. I for one would not be comfortable having Victoria or the VicPD develop that plan.
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