Every year, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) publishes a report of all concluded investigations that found BC police officers guilty of misconduct.
The 2024-2025 Substantiated Allegation Summaries report found that there were 13 confirmed instances of police misconduct regarding Greater Victoria police.
Below is a summary of this report’s findings, as it relates to police misconduct in the Greater Victoria region.
Central Saanich Police
OPCC received a complaint where Central Saanich officers failed to investigate a complainant’s report of an assault against them, and instead arrested the complainant for obstruction.
The complainant in this incident was a Black individual who claimed police officers were directly racist towards them.
Saanich Police investigated the matter and determined that the complainant was not read their Charter rights until around an hour and a half after their arrest. Furthermore, the individual was advised they would go to jail if they did not sign an undertaking for release.
OPCC was not wholly satisfied, so another investigation was launched which found that some, but not all, of the misconduct was substantiated.
The two officers received written and verbal reprimands for their misconduct.
Another situation in Central Saanich saw a senior officer use profanity and make demeaning comments toward a fellow constable in the workplace. This resulted in a written reprimand.
Saanich Police
The most notable of the substantiated misconduct in the Saanich Police Department was regarding an officer who, while off-duty, broke into a civilian’s house and sexually assaulted them.
RCMP launched an investigation, which resulted in no criminal charges, but OPCC’s investigation determined the accused officer was guilty and a dismissal was the only befitting punishment.
The officer in question opted to resign before they could be dismissed.
If a civilian were to be found guilty of the same crimes as this officer, they would be looking at several years to life imprisonment.
Another instance of misconduct in Saanich Police was the result of a complainant not being satisfied with the results of an assault committed against them.
Two Saanich officers were found to have neglected their duty in conducting the investigation, as well as neglected the supervision of the investigation.
Their punishment was to be given advice for future matters.
A third matter of misconduct within the Saanich Police ranks was the result of an officer speeding while providing the complainant a ride in a police vehicle.
OPCC says that the officer engaged in the same behaviour which caused the complainant’s vehicle to be towed by police. .
This officer was also given advice for the future.
VicPD
VicPD saw the most instances of substantiated misconduct of the region, with eight investigations resulting in punishments.
The first saw an officer use a police vehicle to stop an individual who was riding an electric bicycle by colliding the cruiser with the rear wheel of the e-bike. This officer was given a one-day suspension and a verbal reprimand.
The second instance of misconduct was the result of an officer sharing confidential information with a reporter from a local news outlet. This officer was issued a verbal reprimand.
In the third instance, two VicPD officers were accused of misconduct for initiating a search and arrest without grounds.
An adjudicator found that a reasonable officer would have known there were no grounds to arrest the complainant, and that there was therefore no basis to search the complainant.
For abuse of authority, one of these two members was punished with a five-day unpaid suspension.
The fourth instance of misconduct in VicPD was the result of a complainant who suffered a severe allergic reaction while in a holding cell. The officer involved was given a verbal reprimand for this misconduct.
In the fifth instance, an off-duty VicPD member was pulled over by RCMP and found to be impaired by alcohol while driving.
This officer reportedly lied to RCMP officers, saying they had “nothing” to drink before subsequently failing a breathalyzer twice.
This officer was given a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) and a 30-day vehicle impoundment by RCMP.
Their punishment from OPCC for this misconduct was a five-day unpaid suspension.
The fifth instance of misconduct began with complainants reporting a VicPD officer had barged into their home and arrested them without explanation.
The resulting investigation found that the officer had neglected their duty by failing to document actions taken during the interactions with the complainants.
For this, the officer in question was given advice for the future.
The seventh of VicPD’s substantiated misconduct came after an officer arrested an individual, put them in handcuffs on the ground and then used force and struck their head against the ground.
After OPCC found this misconduct to have happened, the officer was given a verbal reprimand.
The last of VicPD’s substantiated misconduct found that while looking into a matter of excessive force, OPCC discovered the officer had taken no notes or reports of an arrest. They were given a written reprimand.
The OPCC’s full 2024-2025 Substantiated Allegation Summaries report is available online with more details on each of the above instances of misconduct.
