A resolution prepared by Colwood, Langford and View Royal asking the province to increase their funding for West Shore RCMP officers is being presented at a conference this weekend in hopes of garnering more support.
Colwood Mayor Rob Martin is currently at the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities (AVICC) conference in Powell River where the resolution is being presented.
The municipalities are asking for a funding increase in order to hire more officers and meet immediate and projected needs within the West Shore RCMP.
A 2018 West Shore RCMP General Duty Service Assessment identified that the current 81 officer detachment needs to have an additional nine officers immediately and another four by 2023.
READ MORE: RCMP the best option for West Shore policing, mayors say
“Premier Horgan has provided a letter of support for additional RCMP officers on the West Shore,” Martin said. “The AVICC resolution will further reinforce our request that the province increase their portion of West Shore RCMP funding.”
West Shore municipalities are funding an increase in officers and civilian employees with West Shore RCMP but View Royal, Colwood and Langford are also asking that the province pay for at least three more general duty officers.
The municipalities wrote a letter to the province saying it has been under funding the West Shore RCMP detachment by paying for four officers instead of seven.
West Shore RCMP has 81 officers that police Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Highlands Metchosin, Esquimalt Nation, Songhees Nation, portions of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Currently, the province is providing 40 per cent fewer officers per capita, equating to an approximate $720,000 shortfall.
READ MORE: Colwood funds two West Shore RCMP officers, asking province to step up
“Colwood, Langford and View Royal all contribute higher proportions toward West Shore RCMP than the Province” Martin said. “Whether you measure by population, service time, officers per capita or property assessments, the Provincial contribution falls short.”
Colwood was recently voted one of the safest communities in Canada and the second-safest city in B.C.
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com
