Data on VicPD’s use of force show overrepresentation of Indigenous people

An order from BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has prompted VicPD and other departments in the province to release use of force data, including data on race. The commissioner’s office eventually plans to release a provincewide data report on use of force, but is still processing the numbers.

VicPD’s data show an overrepresentation of force used against Indigenous people. Data from 2018-2023 indicate 17% of use-of-force incidents involved Indigenous people, despite only representing 5% of Victoria’s population. Data also showed a slight overrepresentation of force used on Black people, making up 3% of incidents despite representing 1.3% of the capital’s population.

The majority of incidents—74%—involved white people. More than 85% of Victoria’s population is white.

Use of force against youth made up 3% of incidents, with 56 incidents over six years. Of those incidents, 25% were non-white youth.

Fewer calls for police help, but use of force remains consistent

Calls for police assistance have dropped steadily over the years—by 2023, nearly 10K fewer yearly calls were made, compared to the number of calls in 2018. Despite this, the number of use of force incidents has remained steady—271 incidents occurred in 2018, while 216 occurred in 2023. The highest number of force used was in 2019, with 315 incidents.

VicPD said it revised its policy on use of force in 2022 to better align with provincial standards, saying it was over-reporting incidents of force compared with other police agencies. Its 2023 use-of-force data “more accurately reflects” reportable incidents.

VicPD said in a release that the data doesn’t include whether the force was officer-initiated or subject-initiated. It also does not include levels of force used.

“While we can always look for opportunities to resolve situations without use of force, it is simply a reality of policing,” VicPD said in a statement. “In many situations, the only way to reduce the use of force would be to cease apprehending an individual who has committed a crime, or to release any person who initiates a use of force against an officer.”

Using cars as weapons

Last summer, VicPD came under fire for using police vehicles as weapons to apprehend people on bikes, scooters, or on foot—12 incidents of vehicle use of force occurred over 10 years. One cyclist is suing the department, claiming a VicPD vehicle was used to knock them from their e-bike after running a red light, leading to a dislocated shoulder. VicPD initially denied the claims to the court, but, after a 2024 internal investigation, admitted to using a cruiser to make “contact with the rear wheel of the bike.”