Victoria Police Chief Del Manak says his department is looking to standardize how police officers respond when they see public drug use on the streets.
Manak told Victoria council Thursday that officers are concerned about making arrests for drug consumption that would lead to no charges, which could open them up to complaints from the public.
Senior police leadership decided in a meeting on Wednesday that the department needs to set a definition of “problematic” drug use, he said.
Officers currently have orders to seek “voluntary compliance” from anyone seen consuming illicit substances in public unless they are dealing with an urgent call, he said.
“We don’t want to arrest our way out of this. That’s not the most prudent way. It’s not the most effective way,” he said.
Prosecutors can decide not to proceed with criminal charges if the amount of illicit drugs found during an arrest is small, he said.
A “legally supported” document outlining what exactly officers should be doing when they see people consuming drugs in public will help ensure consistency and reassure officers that they are doing the correct thing, Manak said.
The document will contain a definition of “problematic drug use,” which Manak acknowledged can be subjective.
“We’ve given some guidelines to our officers, but I believe what we’re seeing is that we need a little bit more clarity on what that is.”
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna, who raised the question of public drug consumption with Manak during Thursday’s council meeting, said people using drugs in public is one of the top concerns council is hearing from the public.
“People are terrified of drug consumption,” he said. “It prevents people from coming downtown. It’s scary for families.”
Caradonna suggested the province has offered direction about when to intervene, especially around “problematic” drug consumption. “I just want to get a better sense … what you consider to be problematic behaviour that would trigger enforcement.”
But Manak said the government has left interpretation of the guidelines up to police forces. “They don’t want to define it for police.”
Meanwhile, Coun. Marg Gardiner proposed Thursday that the city pressure Island Health to shut down The Harbour, a supervised drug-consumption site on the 900-block of Pandora Avenue.
The site has “become a magnet for those addicted to drugs and drug dealers who prey on the weak and ill,” she said.
Gardiner said drug-consumption sites are normalizing illicit drug use and asked for the city to write a letter asking Island Health to close down The Harbour by the end of August.
The city should not support the use of illicit drugs behind closed doors, she said.
Council voted to move discussion of Gardiner’s request to Nov. 6.
Mayor Marianne Alto said any decision on The Harbour should wait because the city is already tackling the issue of drug consumption as part of a $10.3-million community safety and wellbeing plan that council endorsed last week.
That plan includes a beefed-up presence of police and bylaw officers in the downtown area, including the 900-block of Pandora
The city is also in discussions with the province and health authorities on drug-consumption issues, Alto said.
Gardiner and Coun. Steve Hammond both voted against delaying the debate. Coun. Krista Loughton was absent due to a death in her family.
The Harbour, which opened in 2023, is an indoor overdose-prevention service that can accommodate up to 24 users at a time.
Island Health’s website says The Harbour provides drug-checking services and harm-reduction supplies, and has an on-site clinician and nurse who provide health supports and referrals to services, including treatment and recovery.
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