VicPD budget increase ask comes at a hard time for the city

From 2020 to 2024, VicPD's budget has been topped off with increases of roughly 10% yearly. The police force wants the same increase this year.

It is proposing another funding increase of just under that amount for its operating budget for 2025, a move that has drawn mixed reactions from residents and councillors.

This year, the department is seeking $7M—equal to a 9.71% budget hike—citing growing operational demands, rising costs, and evolving community safety needs. With rising property taxes, already a concern for many residents, the budget request is stoking debate.

The proposed police budget increase would bring VicPD’s total operating budget to approximately $82.6M. According to the department, the budget increase is being driven by several key factors:

• Unavoidable Costs (6.30%): A substantial portion of the increase—roughly $4.5M—is designated to cover mandatory expenses that include wage increases, the E-Comm 9-1-1 levy, and other contractual obligations
• Integrated Unit Costs (1.85%): Joint operations with other regional enforcement agencies are tagged at $1.3M
• Inflation and External Pressures (1.56%): The department wants $1.1M to address inflation and the costs of resources such as equipment, furniture, and software for its facilities
• Staffing Expansion: VicPD has requested funding to add seven new staff members, including four police officers and three civilian positions, citing a 13% vacancy rate

The police department also is asking for $500K, year over year to 2029, for computer equipment, (which it says will include the replacement of terminals, servers, monitors, printers, CCTV cameras, online training resources and software licenses). It is also asking for $400K for furniture replacement for its 57 staff members at the same year-over-year rate to  2029.

The total proposed increase to its budget will be partially offset by a revenue boost of $1.7 million, which includes contributions from the Township of Esquimalt. That would leave Victoria’s portion of the net increase at $68.3M, representing a 3.3% tax increase.

The hike would coincide with an 8.83% increase in property taxes approved earlier this year, for a total increase of 12.17%. Until the city finalizes its budget in April, those rates are not yet set.

In the face of the increase, the council had asked VicPD to trim $2M from its draft budget.

Residents had their say... and it was mostly in disagreement

Three recent public engagement initiatives reveal some negative opinions among residents about a potential increase to the police budget.

In his Jan. 23 report to the committee of the whole, Sheldon Johnson, the city’s director of communications and engagement, suggested multiple public engagement initiatives showed significant opposition to increasing the police budget.

Between Oct. 25 and Dec. 20, community members were invited to provide input on the city’s draft budget in writing by email, mail, or drop off at City Hall or by submitting a video up to five minutes in length on the Have Your Say engagement platform.

But the city only received 187 correspondence items, a number hardly statistically representative of its population. Of the items it did get, 83% of 81 mentions on the subject of policing demonstrated concern over an increase to the VicPD budget.

“I’m really concerned with what a large percentage of the budget is allocated to policing. Police do not prevent crime, they respond to it, and increased policing has disproportionately negative consequences for marginalized community members,” said one respondent (names were removed by the city for reasons of confidentiality).

“I would much rather see a smaller increase in taxes OR that money being spent on community resources (housing initiatives, the public library, better recreation facilities, etc.) than have a huge tax increase that is being spent on policing,” they said.

Johnson said the initiative’s sample size was not scientific and does not represent the broader community, but when taken along with other feedback, it represented “clear support for council’s priorities in their strategic plan, with the top two being housing and community well-being and safety.”

Police funding in a broader context of the city’s proposed budget

VicPD’s proposed budget increase is only a part of the city’s broader $365.6 million operating budget for 2025. The budget increase is only partially attributable to VicPD’s budget request. Residents voted “Yes” in the Feb. 8 referendum on whether to allow the city to borrow up to $168.9 million for the construction of a new Crystal Pool and Wellness Centre.

The pool—the largest capital project in the city’s history—represents an annual tax burden of between $232 and $240 for residents and between $596 and $620 annually for businesses for 20 years, the largest property hike in a decade.

Despite these budgetary pressures, Mayor Marianne Alto has defended the police budget increase, arguing that investing in public safety and law enforcement is crucial for the well-being of residents.

"A well-funded police force is essential for ensuring the safety of our communities," Alto said in a statement. “We are committed to balancing the need for effective policing with our broader goals of improving social services and housing.”

Esquimalt and Victoria are growing, but does a larger population necessarily mean more crime?

Stats Canada’s crime severity index indicates that violent crime in Greater Victoria dropped 9.4 per cent from 2022, landing at 146 in 2023. In 2024, the non-violent crime severity index for Victoria was 182, a high it hasn’t seen since 2008. Victoria had an overall index number of 80, 24 points below the national average.

A study out of NYU’s Graduate School in Public Service showed that adding more police officers to a city means more people get arrested for petty, low-level, victimless crimes, like disorderly conduct, drinking in public, drug possession, and loitering.

VicPD says major costs are related to staffing increases

In its provisional budget overview, the department said additional personnel are “intended to enhance community policing efforts and increase visibility in neighborhoods.” The request, it says, “reflects the department’s ongoing challenges in attracting and retaining qualified candidates amid increasing competition for police officers.”

VicPD has argued that slashing its budget by $2 million would mean layoffs and, consequentially, compromise public safety. The department only spent 84% of its Public Safety Unit budget last year. It only spent 10% of its Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee budget.

In her presentation to the council in November, Elizabeth Cull, the police board’s finance committee chair, warned a “cut could not be accomplished without laying off staff and police officers.”

The proposed budget includes funding for seven additional staff members—four police officers and three civilian positions—to “enhance community policing and visibility.”

The department says the request is in response to increased competition for police candidates, the need for enhanced employee wellness supports, space restrictions within the provincial police academy, and recent changes in WorkSafeBC legislation concerning occupational stress injuries.

VicPD projected it would hire up to 30 recruits in 2025 at a training cost of $500K to replace vacant positions.

Late-Night Task Force funding also needs funding

There is also ongoing debate about funding for the department’s Late-Night Task Force, which aims “to address issues related to alcohol consumption, public safety, and late-night disturbances.”

On Jan. 31, the police board approved a motion to include the task force in its provisional 2025 budget to the tune of $230K.

After initially cutting funding for the task force, the city council voted to reinstate $220K in funding for it in 2024. However, this amount remains separate from the VicPD budget, raising questions about the sustainability of the task force and its long-term funding.

The debate is timely, given that Coun. Matt Dell is looking to resurrect a city bylaw that has been on the books since 2001, permitting dance clubs to remain open—with no alcohol served—from 2am to 6am in the city’s M-3 Zone. The zone refers to the city’s Heavy Industrial District and typically refers to Wharf, into the Brewery District and over to Rock Bay.

The police board's motion to support the task force came one day after the province fired the entire Victoria School Board for failing to include the School Police Liaison Officer (SPLO) program in its school safety plan. The board removed the officers from its schools in May 2023.