Oak Bay, Saanich ink new policing agreement

A Saanich Police motorcycle is seen in this image handed out by the department.

The Vancouver Island communities of Oak Bay and Saanich have a new policing agreement after their previous deal expired in June.

The police chiefs signed the contract on Friday afternoon, ending months of confidential negotiations between the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD) and the Saanich Police Department (SPD).

“It’s a good feeling to have this done,” said Kevin Murdoch, Oak Bay mayor and police board chair. “We’ve been working closely with Saanich for a long time and it was really down to just a few details.”

The operational agreement details services OBPD can subcontract to the much larger SPD. Those services include assistance with major crime investigations, IT support, and the use of SPD’s jail cells.

The departments first signed a service agreement in 2007 and have renegotiated it several times, most recently in the summer of 2020.

“What it results in is a very high level of policing at a very reasonable cost,” Murdoch said.

The price tag is included in the contract, though Murdoch did not disclose it.

He said the new agreement is “not radically different” than its previous iteration, aside from being more flexible should service needs change.

Since the last deal was signed, he said, policing has evolved.

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

“That drove a lot of the (negotiation) time, was just understanding … the current time expectations for different services.”

Oak Bay is kicking in some cash to bolster wellness services for SPD’s staff, Murdoch said.

“We’ve worked really hard, I think, to make sure that we’re adding a positive benefit to Saanich in all of this,” he said.

It’s anticipated the departments will share more details about the new agreement next week.

This story is part of CTV’s in-depth coverage of policing in B.C., particularly on Southern Vancouver Island. Recent stories from the series:

• Southern Vancouver Island takes baby step toward regional policing
• Central Saanich left out of police regionalization talks, local chief weighs in
• B.C. won’t create provincial police force despite all-party recommendation, minister says
• Vancouver Island police departments underscore staffing instabilities