West Shore RCMP’s Supt. Todd Preston has again defended the decision to withdraw from three Greater Victoria Regional Policing Units, this time responding to criticism from Victoria Police Chief Del Manak.
In an effort to save money and provide a "better service" to residents, the West Shore RCMP will exit both the Mobile Youth Service Team (MYST) and the Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team (IMCRT) at the end of 2025. It will also withdraw from the Regional Domestic Violence Unit at the end of 2026.
The decision to withdraw has been made as the West Shore RCMP has created its own services to support at‑risk young people, people affected by intimate partner domestic violence, and a mental health crisis response team.
Central Saanich Police Chief Ian Lawson has also recently said they, too, will be pulling out of the three regional policing units, citing similar reasons to West Shore RCMP.
At a meeting on Nov. 4, some Langford councillors described feeling surprised by West Shore RCMP's announcement, expressing particular disappointment at the loss of the MYST service – comments that Preston said “amplified” the spread of “misinformation” within the community.
Days later, VicPD’s Manak told the Times Colonist he was disappointed by the move and was not supportive of police agencies creating their own areas of expertise at the expense of having a regional approach.
In response to Manak’s ‘disappointment’, Preston has doubled down on the benefits of the West Shore RCMP having its own dedicated units to support residents in the seven municipalities it covers.
“Victoria’s demographic, governance and policing requirements are very different than that of the West Shore,” said Preston in a news release. “Many of the regional units have long focused on complex issues associated to the downtown core of Victoria which has left gaps in the outlying municipalities.”
“Citizens on the West Shore deserve to have access to critical resources when required.”
With priorities varying "significantly" between communities, Preston says it is important for police services to be able to "pivot, adapt and shift" in line with these changes.
“Teams and regional integration of units must benefit all parties and are best suited for communities that are aligned with similar demographics and priorities,” he said.
“Just as it is inappropriate for me to comment on the deployment of police resources by any other municipality or their police service, I would suggest that determining the needs of the West Shore communities is best left to the chiefs, mayors, councils and chief of police in our jurisdiction.”
According to Preston the three regional services spend a "disproportionate" amount of time outside the West Shore despite "significant contributions" paid into these teams.
As an example of how the West Shore-focused services are best placed to serve the community, Preston explains the IMCRT addressed 35 calls on the West Shore in 2023, while the RCMP’s own Mental Health Crisis Response Team attended 513 calls in the first six months of 2024.
“This is a marked improvement in service to our community,” said Preston. “Especially for those citizens that find themselves in a crisis.”
The superintendent also notes MYST was “unable to meet the demands” of the growing West Shore population.
“Our Youth Outreach Team has allowed MYST to focus their efforts on other areas of the CRD as West Shore RCMP is able to address local concerns,” he said.
Preston also offers reassurance the West Shore's Intimate Partner Violence Team will provide dedicated resources to investigate and monitor the most serious reports of domestic violence.
“Where required, our unit will certainly monitor, liaise and share intelligence with partner agencies,” he adds.
