No Greater Victoria Police Department in Control

The following article from the Times Colonist reflects a strong reason for Amalgamation

Patchwork policing: 3 case studies


TIMES COLONISTSEPTEMBER 22, 2010


CASE STUDY 2007

PETER LEE

NO ONE FORCE IN CONTROL OF 'UGLY' CASE

The article makes a number of valid points including:

Nowhere on Vancouver Island are the failings of the fractured, multi-jurisdictional policing system more apparent than in the Oak Bay murder-suicide in 2007 that left five people dead.

At one point a 911 call, was rerouted to Victoria dispatch instead of Saanich, which covers calls for Oak Bay.

Oak Bay police did not enter the home; they waited for Saanich backup.

Two Saanich officers arrived, and they entered the house with one of the Oak Bay officers to find two bodies and a barricaded bedroom door. The three retreated after smelling gas, fearing an explosion. The Emergency Response Team, led by a Victoria officer, was called in.

There were three departments in the mix, but no one seemed to be leading the charge. Victoria police Sgt. Andy Lacon said over the radio: "This is ugly, it looks like there isn't anyone taking control at all."

The spotty CREST radio system, picking up little signal in the King George Terrace area, also hampered the various forces from communicating. As well, some officers were using Saanich's radio frequency, while others used Victoria's.

In the end, a total of 44 officers and dispatchers from three departments and two call centres had handled the case.

The coroner's inquest, which wrapped up in December 2009 recommended that "all police departments work across jurisdictional boundaries as one unit" and called for "continued unification of the various police departments."

The region still has three dispatch systems and seven police forces.