Oak Bay police eye ‘more autonomous’ future, limited reliance on external partners

The Oak Bay Police Department plans to take control of two services it’s contracting to the Saanich Police Department, including leadership of major crime investigations.

On Friday, the police chiefs renewed an operational agreement, which details the services Oak Bay contracts to the much larger Saanich department.

Those services include assistance with major crime investigations, records management, training, IT, and the use of the SPD’s cells.

By the end of next year, OBPD Chief Julie Chanin said it’s likely major crimes and records management will no longer be part of the agreement, as her department intends to assume control of those services.

“The five-year vision that OBPD has is to be more autonomous, provide the highest level of service, but also have more financial control over how those services are being allocated and delivered,” Chanin said in an interview with CTV News.

The previous version of the operational agreement was signed in 2020, spanning five years. Chanin said the new contract covers one year, with an option to extend.

“What was built in (to the contract) and thoughtfully considered, was the ability to have the flexibility to transition some of those services from SPD back to OBPD,” Chanin said.

“A year from now, if we transition out major crime and records, there’s going to be a commitment for those remaining services to continue for the foreseeable future.”

OBPD has created two new positions to support the transition: a records manager who will focus on disclosure to Crown council; and an inspector to oversee major crime investigations.

The inspector was sworn in on Oct. 30.

“By expanding internal expertise, OBPD will be able to independently manage major crime investigations, police records management, and training, thereby minimizing reliance on costly external agreements,” the department’s budget report says.

OBPD recently secured dedicated funding for the two new roles with the approval of its 2026 budget.

Significant cost increases

On Nov. 10, Oak Bay Council approved a budget increase of nearly $1.2 million—or 16.8 per cent—bringing OBPD’s total budget to nearly $8.2 million.

The projected property tax impact is 2.9 per cent.

“There’s cost pressures attached and a growing complexity, both in investigative services, reporting … to the Crown and in any other number of areas,” Mayor Kevin Murdoch said in an interview on Friday.

The budget accounts for a variety of increased costs, including equipment, uniforms, and employee benefits, along with a significant jump for the service agreement with SPD.

Chanin said the previous agreement, which was signed in 2020, cost Oak Bay roughly $480,000 a year. Now, it costs roughly $760,000.

“That’s a fair reflection from both agencies doing their due diligence and really looking at what are the true costs and challenges associated with providing these services,” Chanin said.

This story is part of CTV’s in-depth coverage of policing in B.C. More stories from Southern Vancouver Island can be found below:

• Saanich police chief talks staffing challenges, potential Island training academy
• Central Saanich left out of police regionalization talks, local chief weighs in
• Greater Victoria police departments underscore staffing instabilities