Our members and employees have made 2006 a remarkable year for the Island District. Fantastic work by our front-line, investigative and support units have led to great operational successes.

The District has been busy creating and implementing many improvement initiatives throughout 2006/07. These include integration of the Police Dog Services and the Forensic Identification Services, and creation of an Integrated Harbour Safety Unit. The success we have seen in our District with the Crime Reduction Initiative pilot projects has demonstrated this will continue as our future direction.

Highlights

Regional Policing Model: Through a collaborative effort between local Detachment management, employees and elected officials, a regional policing model was developed for the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

Major Crime Unit: An integrated unit was created with the co-operation of Capital Region District Municipal Police Forces to
investigate current and historical homicide cases.

Police Dog Services (PDS): The PDS reporting structure was successfully reorganized to streamline administration and augment service.

Traffic Services Realignment: Traffic Services is continuing to focus on the goals of Road Safety Vision 2010 to reduce fatalities and injury crashes by focusing on identified “hot spots” and impaired drivers.

Provincial General Investigative Unit (GIS): A District GIS Unit was created in Victoria and Courtenay. The mandate of the unit is to fill the gap between uniformed policing and major crime work by assisting detachment GIS Units and detachments without GIS Units with investigation of mid-level crime.

Vancouver Island district map

Detachments

Alert Bay  •  Port Alberni  •  Port Hardy
Port Alice  •  Campbell River  •  Fort McNeill
Comox Valley  •  Powell River/Texada
Gabriola  •  Quadra Island  •  Saltspring
Sayward  •  Ladysmith  •  Shawnigan Lake
Lake Cowichan  •  Sidney/North Saanich
Nanaimo  •  Sooke  •  Nootka Sound
Tofino  •  North Cowichan/Duncan
Ucuelet  •  Oceanside  •  Westshore
Outer Gulf Islands  •  Westcoast Marine

Integrated Road Safety (Capital Region District, North Island)

What’s Next

Internal

Staffing: With people as our greatest asset, we will be working to add a number of positions: a District Crime Analyst for rural areas, three Collisions Analyst regional positions, and a Staff Sergeant Major to assist the Regional Sergeant Major.

Integration: To better deliver services, we will continue with integration as appropriate, including a regional crime integrated investigative unit in Capital Regional District and the reorganizing of Forensic Identification Services (IDENT) to streamline administration.

Regionalization: The creation of a Regional Detachment in the North Vancouver Island area will be assessed.

External

PRIME-BC: Continue with the effective integration of the Police Records Information Management Environment for British Columbia.

Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI): After successful pilot projects in the Port McNeill and Comox Valley Detachments, the Island District will be applying this initiative to other detachments.

Police Dog Services Training

photo"As the District Commander, I am committed to our members, staff and communities through finding the best possible ways of delivering police services. We have embraced integration through partnerships with our neighbouring municipal police departments, we have developed strategies for regionalizing our own detachments and have found better ways to manage our crucial human resources and services.

"Next year, I will be focusing on the three critical questions that our communities have: ‘Do you know what you are doing? Can I trust you? Am I safe?"

Chief Superintendant Rick Betker
Island District Officer