Friday, March 29, 2024

Victoria Police Department looking to hire six new officers after budget increase

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The streets of Victoria City might be getting just a little safer soon.

According to a Times Colonist report, the Victoria City council approved a $528,000 increase to the Victoria-Esquimalt police budget for the purposes of hiring new officers, on Monday.

The approval comes at an opportune moment, as VicPD has not had a budget increase since 2010, and the opioid overdose crisis in the city is more pronounced than ever before.

Still awaiting a final decision

Don’t celebrate just yet though – the council still needs to ratify the 5-3 committee vote on Thursday night.

Moreover, since Esquimalt pays about 15% of policing costs, they also need to approve the budget increase request – they will do so on January 22nd.

Some arguments against the decision include the fact that Victoria is already the most heavily policed city in the country per capita, and that other public resources – like paramedics and social workers – should be utilized instead.

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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