Vancouver Island police departments underscore staffing instabilities

As B.C. police experience staffing challenges, a criminal justice instructor says vacancies can cause serious disruptions in small departments.

This story is the final installment in a series focused on the big issues when it comes to policing in B.C.

• Part 1 broke the news that Vancouver Island mayors are meeting with the public safety minister to discuss regionalized policing.
• Part 2 revealed B.C. does not plan to create a new provincial police force, despite a recommendation from a legislative committee.

Vancouver Island police departments are unpacking the precarious state of their staffing situations.

As of late last month, the Victoria Police Department (VicPD) said 28 of its officers are off work for various reasons, including leaves of absence, suspensions, and long-term disability. On top of that, 20 officers are in recruit training, which means they aren’t fully deployable.

“What’s really struck me about VicPD is that we actually don’t have a number of hard vacancies,” VicPD Chief Fiona Wilson said, referring to unfilled positions.

“Our challenge here at VicPD, unlike many other departments across the country, is one of authorized strength.”

VicPD has budgetary approval for 269 officers. Last week, the department presented its draft 2026/27 budget to the Esquimalt and Victoria councils, seeking funding for 16 new positions.

“We do not have enough people who we are able to hire as per our budget to fill the various needs and expectations that now exist in the communities of both Victoria and Esquimalt,” Wilson said.

“(Between 2014 and 2024), our authorized strength here at VicPD increased by 12 officers. That is woefully inadequate.”

‘This situation can change rapidly’

CTV News requested staffing numbers from the three other municipal departments on Vancouver Island. While the Oak Bay and Central Saanich departments shared the information, the Saanich Police Department (SPD) did not.

In an email, an SPD spokesperson said the department is experiencing “great need when it comes to staffing.”

As of Oct. 1, the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD) said it doesn’t have any vacancies, though two of its members are recruits in training.

“While I cautiously state that we are fully staffed if we include our two recruits, this situation can change rapidly,” OBPD Chief Julie Chanin said in an email.

In May, the department had four vacancies, which it filled with two recruits and two exempt officers.

“At any moment, we might encounter additional vacancies due to officers leaving the profession or transferring to other agencies, which has been a recurring issue for us over the past three years,” Chanin said.

The Central Saanich Police Service has an authorized strength of 28 members. Last month, it told CTV News two positions are vacant, two officers are suspended with pay, and one officer is on long-term medical leave.

A seemingly low number of vacancies can have a huge impact on small departments, a criminal justice instructor said.

“Any shortage will actually impact the level of service you’re able to provide,” said Michel Legault, who teaches at Camosun College in Saanich.

Staffing shortages can also cause delays in criminal investigations, he said.

“That has an impact on victims and witnesses and the whole criminal justice system,” he said.

Possible solutions in the works

Staffing levels are stressed by the competitive job market, negative perceptions of policing, and an increasingly complex workload, Legault said.

“We speak of policing as law enforcement,” he said. “However, I would suggest that law enforcement is a smaller portion of their day-to-day work compared to actually attending mental health calls (and) trauma calls.”

Over the years, police departments have dramatically enhanced mental health supports for staff, which Legault said will help retain members.

When it comes to recruitment, Victoria’s former police chief said limited training space is part of the problem.

“We just got the allotment for our police academy seats for the January class,” former chief Del Manak told reporters in August. “We have … eight seats. Our request was for 16.”

The province recently announced funding to expand the number of seats available at the Justice Institute of B.C. (JIBC), which trains municipal police recruits.

VicPD is seeking provincial approval to establish a satellite JIBC campus for Island-based trainees.