Victoria policing faces 'crisis of integrity': ex-board member

Members of the Surrey Police Service and Delta Police Department will investigate a complaint filed by a former Victoria police board member in the wake of the collapse of the prosecution of a high-profile drug case.

The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board announced the appointment Tuesday of the two external agencies to probe concerns related to the department's handling of Project Juliet — an investigation into a fentanyl trafficking ring doomed by alleged misconduct of officers.

The complaint was filed by Paul Schachter — who resigned from the police board in 2022 — after a B.C. Supreme Court decision detailing alleged misconduct by officers that resulted in the staying of charges against three accused.

Schachter addressed the board Tuesday before Surrey and Delta police were named as external investigators.

He claimed that while the board's governance committee had agreed to an external investigation, they left it up to Victoria Police Chief Del Manak to oversee the process.

"The chief — and not you — will decide on the external investigator, what you get to see and when, and the contents of [the] final report," Schachter asked the board members.

"Do you find that acceptable? I wouldn't."

'The top of the fentanyl trafficking pyramid'

Details of Project Juliet's demise emerged last month in a B.C. Supreme Court decision which said officers allegedly misled the court about the involvement of a disgraced colleague in the initial stages of the investigation.

In a story first reported by CBC News, Justice Catherine Murray's decision said officers "obscured" the fact former Const. Robb Ferris was part of the first iteration of the probe by filing a record of the case suggesting it began a month later than it actually did.

Those revelations led to the Crown staying charges against all three men accused in the case — notwithstanding Manak's claim at the time of their arrests that they represented "the top of the fentanyl trafficking pyramid in British Columbia."

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) is investigating the actions of the now-retired officer who led Project Juliet when charges were brought.

In his resignation from the board, Schachter cited a lack of transparency about how operations are conducted to determine if the force is using its resources effectively.

Former board member Paul Schachter addressed the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board via Zoom on March 19, 2024. (Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board/YouTube)

Last month, he filed a complaint with the co-chairs of the police board.

The complaint cites six specific areas of concern, including "a failure in general direction and management" and "inadequate or inappropriate" policies to prevent "obscuration of the existence of essential facts with respect to records, reports and disclosures."

'A crisis of integrity'

Police board co-chair and Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins told CBC earlier this month that Schachter's complaint has prompted an external probe.

But in his statement, Schachter said he was "surprised to be notified in writing that the governance committee delegated the investigation to Chief Constable Manak, and that Chief Manak purportedly will ask for an investigation by external agencies.

Victoria Police Chief Constable Del Manak said Project Juliet had targeted the top of the fentanyl trafficking pyramid in B.C. But the case fell apart because of the role of a disgraced officer. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

"Policing in Victoria is facing a crisis of integrity," Schachter told the board.

"I ask you pass a resolution ... to take charge of this complaint and have an independent external investigation report directly to you, and not to management of the department under investigation."

External agencies investigating, board member says

Immediately following Schachter's remarks Tuesday night, the board received a report from its governance committee chair Paul Faoro, who said it had taken Schachter's concerns "very seriously."

He said the complaints had been forwarded to the governance committee for review, which he described as an "established practice" in place for more than 15 years.

Faoro also said the committee has engaged "external agencies" to aid in reviewing Schachter's complaints, but did not indicate who they were, adding, "That's about all I can say at the moment."

"Time is going to be needed," he said of the investigations underway. "But I am confident that those investigations will be looked at thoroughly and we'll be able to positively resolve this policy complaint."