Sooke RCMP is keeping busy this year, fielding more calls from residents than potentially ever before.
Sgt. Greg Wilcox attended Sooke council this week to present the detachment’s quarterly report.
A major takeaway was the staggering number of calls the detachment had received as of May 9, clocking in at 2,258.
“I had to rerun this again to make sure I had my numbers right. But we are up 20 per cent in our calls for service from this time last year,” Wilcox said, explaining that the increase doesn’t mean criminals are rampaging down Sooke Road. The calls range greatly in severity.
If this trend continues, Wilcox anticipates the detachment could break its record for total yearly calls.
“With how busy we are, we can expect that we would have just shy of 6,400 calls for service by the end of the year. The one caveat is that our busy summer season hasn’t started yet.”
When presenting his report, Wilcox addressed the obvious question: Why are calls for service going up?
“It’s simply because there’s just more people here,” he said.
“I’m sure there are more reasons as well, but these are general calls for service – this can be anything from a traffic complaint to major crimes. But we just have more people moving in, which will mean more calls for service.”
It’s a trend Mayor Maja Tait hopes will settle as the year progresses.
“Of course, we would like this strong start to be just the start, and a quiet rest of the year, but we’ll see how the reports go,” Tait said.
Wilcox contextualized the numbers by comparing Sooke with communities of similar size. Oak Bay and Central Saanich, which exceed Sooke’s population of 15,086 by 2,299 and 2,904 people respectively, each fielded roughly half the calls for service that Sooke did.
He also expressed concern that with so many calls coming in, a major incident can quickly deplete RCMP resources.
Wilcox described a couple of serious incidents, including one involving a person who barricaded themselves inside a home with a firearm during a mental health episode. RCMP believed the person to be a public threat.
After a lengthy standoff, the individual was taken into custody and brought to hospital without incident – but the situation left Sooke RCMP tight on staff.
“A call like this will take up every resource that I have, and we have to bring in outside resources to help us,” Wilcox said. But even on normal days, things are busy in the district.
“I can tell you every single officer working for Sooke was at a call when I left the office.”
Another RCMP priority, Wilcox said, is enhancing road safety by targeting impaired, aggressive and distracted drivers. So far, efforts appear to be paying off.
“Last year, we had the most impaired drivers ever – we caught 142. So it actually beat our previous record by about 20 impaired drivers.”
Other priorities outlined by Wilcox include addressing prolific offenders and organized crime, supporting officers’ well-being, and advancing reconciliation efforts.
However, the number of calls and limited resources can make it difficult to meet some of these goals. For instance, Wilcox noted accountability and community engagement as a priority in the report as well.
Coun. Jeff Bateman asked whether this might include implementing a school liaison officer. Wilcox said it’s something he would love to do, but it’s challenging given current demands.
“I want to be in the schools more. Unfortunately, the caveat is that the members who are very dedicated – they’re assigned to schools – are still slaves to the radio at the end of the day,” he said.
“They may be there for five minutes and then have to go because they get a call, or they can’t go at all because they’re on a call.”
The detachment is currently looking to hire two new support staff to help reduce the administrative burden on officers. It is also establishing a new general investigations section. But as Sooke continues to grow, Wilcox explained, so will the calls.
