The chief of police in Saanich, B.C., is calling for more resources, adding his department is still reeling more than a year after a terrifying shootout outside a local bank.
In a presentation to Saanich city council Monday, Chief Dean Duthie said the small department had recorded a worrisome 10 resignations since 2022, along with several early retirements.
“We are still dealing from the repercussions of that incident in a significant way, and yes I can confirm that some of those resignations were a direct result of that incident,” he said of the bank shootout.
That incident saw six police officers, three of them from the Saanich department, hospitalized with serious injuries. Investigators later determined the twin brothers killed in the shootout had intended to kill police in a stand against government regulations, including gun laws.
Duthie said Saanich police officers are also facing burnout and stress-related injuries due to a lack of officers on the ground and an average call volume up nearly 14 per cent from 2016.
That’s left six officers on shift at night patrolling Vancouver Island’s largest municipality, he said.
“Our officers are feeling safety issues on the road because of lack of strength and bodies responding to calls, we have had no increase to our platoon strength since 2016,” he told council.
“The current organizational health status at the Saanich Police Department right now is critical and I am very concerned, we are at a tipping point with our resources and this is resulting in more operational stress injuries, burnout, morale and opportunities that people are seeking elsewhere.”
The department is seeking funding to hire four patrol officers, two officers for a specialized unit tackling sexual assaults, four civilian support staff and an IT specialist.
It’s request comes in at just under $4.6 million, which would be close to a 10 per cent increase.
“That’s a big number and its not something we take lightly, but that’s in the context of the pressing need,” Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said.
Murdock acknowledge the impact of the 2022 shootout on the department, along with the other operational stresses that were affecting recruitment, retention, health and wellbeing at the department.
“I think what the chief and the leadership team, police board, have identified is we need to be better equipped to ensure we have the appropriate number of patrol officers on the streets on a regular basis,” he said.
“It seems like that is thin on the ground for the size of our community, and we are a growing community.”
Murdock said city staff were currently analyzing the SPD’s budget proposal.
Council, he said, would make a final decision on the matter in February.
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