External party to investigate Victoria police corruption complaint
CTV
The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board is assigning a third-party investigator to conduct a probe into corruption within the Victoria Police Department.
The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board is assigning a third-party investigator to conduct a probe into corruption within the Victoria Police Department.
The investigation follows the implosion of a major drug prosecution after a court record revealed VicPD’s efforts to conceal an allegedly corrupt officer’s involvement in the case.
Board co-chair Barb Desjardins would not disclose who will conduct the investigation.
“This will be going external and I don’t want to convey any more information at this time until those agencies are contacted,” Desjardins said in an interview with CTV News.
The board’s governance committee made the call during a private meeting on Tuesday morning. Paul Schachter, a former board member who filed the Police Act complaint that prompted the investigation, believes the discussion should have been public.
“The public is entitled to hear what each individual member of the police board thinks about how this complaint should be investigated,” said Schachter, a retired lawyer.
“It befuddles me why they think this should be in closed session.”
