Victoria police department turns to retired officers to fill vacancies

The Victoria Police Department is hiring recently retired police officers in an effort to speed up response times and maintain a consistent service level.

VicPD announced the temporary program on Thursday, highlighting its goal to fill vacancies while long-term recruitment efforts are underway.

“This is not a replacement for permanent hiring,” VicPD Chief Fiona Wilson said.

Retired cops can clock back in for up to three years. For the most part, they’ll be working full-time on patrol, where Wilson said staffing demands are highest.

“Many of these people have deep roots in our communities and a proven understanding of our local challenges,” she said.

The retired-to-hired officers will earn roughly $160,000 annually.

“I don’t know how many contract employees we are going to hire, so it’s impossible for me to determine what the overall cost would be,” Wilson said.

This summer, Victoria city council approved funds to hire nine new officers. A handful of the officers have been hired, while the remaining positions may be filled by retirees, Wilson said.

In a recent interview with CTV News, Wilson said roughly 45 employees are not deployable at any given time, as they’re on various forms of leave or they’re fresh recruits in training.

VicPD has an authorized strength of 269 officers, which it wants to grow by 16.

The request is part of VicPD’s draft 2026 budget, which seeks a $7.8 million increase. If approved by the Victoria and Esquimalt councils, the budget would grow to roughly $86.8 million.

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said fulfilling the “really big” request would require a property tax increase of five per cent.

“But I have to compliment the chief and the board for … very thoughtfully grasping the intentions of the City and the requirements for implementing our community safety and well-being plan,” Alto said, pointing to a multi-year plan to address public safety concerns.

“They’ve literally tied much of the changes and the additional resources that they need to how they can execute their portion of that plan.”