One man was arrested after Victoria Police officers seized a number of weapons, including a loaded imitation firearm during a vehicle stop Wednesday.
On April 15th, at about 1:30 p.m., police stopped a vehicle occupied by two men for traffic violations in the 2900-block of Blackwood Street.
It was discovered that the driver was in breach of his probation and the officers took him under arrest. The officers then searched the vehicle and located a loaded imitation firearm and other weapons, including a knife, a collapsible baton, and bear spray.
Police say the imitation firearm was a Glock style BB gun, powered by an air cartridge.
See also: Victoria police recover $30,000 in stolen property after storage locker raid
“This arrest and subsequent seizure in the Topaz Park area is just one example of officers making proactive patrols in areas where we have seen an increase in calls for service,” VicPD said in a release.
According to police, VicPD has seen a 126% increase in calls for service in the Topaz Park area since March 15th.
At the moment, Topaz Park is the only outdoor sheltering site available to homeless and vulnerable people who have not been housed at one of the 115 motel or hotel units thus far acquired by the city.
According to Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, the fire department has confirmed that Topaz Park is now at capacity.
The City of Victoria said it is looking to acquire more hotel and motel rooms for homeless and vulnerable populations, said Mayor Lisa Helps during her daily update on Wednesday.
Victoria council will be looking to pass a motion at their Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday to ask the provincial government to requisition indoor shelter spaces for all homeless people in the City of Victoria.
With files from Brishti Basu
