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Oak Bay police board to examine cost of special events

Possibility of chargebacks to groups tossed out by chief

Oak Bay police Chief Const. Mark Fisher is concerned about the financial implications of having to provide police services for what he calls an increasing number of special events in Oak Bay.

He brought the matter up to the police board Tuesday. His memo to the board outlined the need for discussion about creating a chargeback policy for the provision of traffic control and other services.

In the past the department has billed organizers of events such as movie shoots, jewelry auctions and the Tour de Victoria. But there is no formal criteria in place to determine which events merit extra billing.

Fisher suggested two options. One would see the department charge for police costs associated to events for which an admission fee is charged. The other would be to create a line item in the budget for overtime expenses attached to annual events whose requirements are consistent year-to-year.

The board asked for a report on the financial impact  of such events.

reporter@vicnews.ca