B.C.’s minister of public safety is examining the idea of a single major crime unit for Vancouver Island to deal with an increasing number of homicides and the costs associated with them.
Mike Farnworth has invited Island communities, First Nations and police forces to participate in preliminary consultations about the expansion of the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) to all communities.
Farnworth has directed the province’s policing and security branch to work with the B.C. RCMP on the issue. “The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit continues to provide excellent service in the investigation of missing and murdered persons within their mandate to participating municipalities and provincial areas including Indigenous communities since 2007,” said Farnworth.
“For the past several years, other Island communities who are not currently participating in VIIMCU have been calling for expansion of the unit.”
VIIMCU currently has 35 employees, both police officers and civilians, from the RCMP and Central Saanich, Oak Bay, Victoria and Saanich police departments. The integrated police unit can make use of specialized RCMP units and resources.
While homicides remain relatively rare events, they have been steadily increasing in the province over the years, Farnworth wrote in a Dec. 21 letter to Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl, which was obtained by CBC News.
“The impact that homicides have on communities are significant and are felt well beyond victims and their families.”
In addition, the increasing complexities and challenges of taking a major crime file from investigation to prosecution are driving up resource costs, wrote Farnworth.
A single major crime unit across the Island will ensure sufficient numbers of highly trained and skilled officers and civilians dedicated to solving homicides in all communities, wrote Farnworth.
“Ultimately, this initiative will more effectively bring resolutions for victims and families impacted by homicides and create a safer, more resilient service delivery model for future and current Island residents,” he wrote.
No final decision has been made on the issue, Farnworth said.
“We want to hear what participants have to say to inform ongoing work. In the interim, VIIMCU will continue in its current form.”
Saanich Police Chief Dean Duthie said he and other police chiefs received a letter from Farnworth on the issue.
“They’re looking to form some work groups and partnerships to examine the current model and see what improvements can be made with an idea of an expanded single major crime unit on the Island,” said Duthie.
Saanich police generally has three experienced major crime investigators assigned to VIIMCU, he said.
“They do their tenure of service there and rotate back to the Saanich Police Department. It benefits our officers by getting that extensive experience and that highly qualified team that investigates homicides up and down the Island. It’s good experience and development for them and they are able to contribute their skills and experiences to that team and bring the skills they’ve learned back to the department,” Duthie said.
He believes the minister wants ongoing and robust resources attached to this team.
For example, if there’s a homicide in Saanich, VIIMCU will come in and take ownership of the file and investigate it, but they will rely on Saanich for services like forensic identification and help with witness management, interviews and exhibits.
“The team in its current model is an investigative team. All the extra services, they depend on other agencies to fill those roles. This new model would be a team that is full service. So when they move into a jurisdiction, they come in as one big package deal,” said Duthie.
“Small detachments up Island, there’s no way they have ident sections that VIIMCU can just use at their disposal. They have to figure out where those resources are going to come from and bring them in.”
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