A police unit drawn from multiple police departments on Vancouver Island could expand its reach because of rising homicides and growing costs.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has invited municipalities, First Nations and policing partners to participate in what the ministry calls “preliminary consultations” about expanding the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit.
“While (VIIMCU) has served participating communities well, the time has come to modernize the model and provide the opportunity for all Island municipalities to join a new, expanded, Island-wide integrated unit,” Mike Farnworth, Public Safety Minister, said in a letter last month to Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl.
VIIMCU has been investing cases involving missing and murdered individuals in participating municipalities and provincial areas including First Nations communities since 2007. The units consists of 35 sworn and unsworn staff from RCMP as well as the municipal police departments of Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich and Central Saanich.
VIIMCU investigations take place in an area that includes the Capital Region itself, most of Vancouver Island outside of the Capital Region, both Northern and Southern Gulf Islands and parts of the provincial coastline north and northeast of Powell River. VIIMCU officers can also dispatched to other parts of the province.
According to a statement from the ministry, other Island communities currently not participating in VIIMCU have been calling for its expansion and Farnworth’s letter invited Campbell River to participate in that process set to get underway in early 2024.
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Calls for VIIMCU’s expansion unfold against a rise in homicides on Vancouver Island and other nearby coastal regions. According to figures from the BC Coroners Service, Island Health, an area including Vancouver Island and parts of the provincial coastline, recorded 25 homicides in 2022, just two less than Coastal Health, which includes Metro Vancouver.
While year-to-year numbers fluctuate, the trend line is pointing upward. Whereas the region recorded 11 homicides in 2020, 2021 (24) and 2022 (25) saw significant spikes.
This point also rang through in Farnworth’s letter.
“While homicides remain relatively rare events, they have been steadily increasing in the province over the years,” Farnworth said. “The impact that homicides have on communities are significant and are felt well beyond victims and their families.”
He added that a single major crime unit across the lsland would “help ensure there are sufficient numbers of highly trained and skilled officers and civilians dedicated to solving homicides in all communities.”
Farnworth also said that “the complexities and challenges associated with successfully concluding a file from investigation to prosecution are driving up the resource costs associated with all major crime files.”
Farnworth’s ministry said a decision about the future of the unit remains outstanding, adding that it wants to hear input first. VIIMCU would continue in its current form in the interim, it reads.
@wolfgangdepner
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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