Some city councillors are asking why the Victoria Police Department is seeking additional resources for harm reduction services now that the province is stepping up.
As part of a budget request for 2017, VicPD Acting Chief Constable Del Manak is asking council for $240-thousand dollars to hire two additional officers to expand integration with the health system.
"The police department are part of the community, and we are out there engaging, talking, helping, connecting people to services. That is so, so important for us"
Councillor Ben Isitt says he can't support the request.
"I'm not sure why that provincial investment isn't replacing municipal investment. I'm kind of surprised we'd look at increased provincial investment and increased municipal investment when there are so many other priorities."
The police department is asking for a budget of nearly $52.2-million dollars for 2017, a 3.6-per cent increase over 2016. They're also making a supplementary request for $383-thousand dollars for three new officers, two of whom would be used for harm reduction services. The budget request will be officially considered at a meeting of council in early January.