The future of a regional crime-fighting unit that targets Greater Victoria’s most active criminals is in jeopardy, following the decision by the Victoria police department and provincial RCMP to pull their officers from the team.

“After a long and detailed analysis we made the decision to withdrawn from the Regional Crime Unit,” said Chief Jamie Graham in an interview with the Times Colonist.

Graham said while the unit has been effective since its inception in March 2008, the department just doesn’t have the money to dedicate four officers and $500,000 a year, which he said adds up to just under $1 million.

“The big driver is financial.”

Graham announced the decision to regional chiefs and his staff on Monday and is making it public today.

“The rug is being pulled out from underneath the unit,” lamented Saanich police staff Sgt. Gary Schenk, who just last month replaced Victoria police Sgt. Dave Bown as head of the unit.

The decision by Victoria police is “potentially fatal to the unit,” he said.

The provincial RCMP decided two weeks ago they would pull their officers, Schenk said. He had hopes the unit could survive without the RCMP but doubts it can without Victoria police.

Based out of offices in the West Shore, the unit has a staff of 15 - four from Victoria, four from Saanich, one from Central Saanich, one from Oak Bay, one from West Shore RCMP, and two from provincial RCMP (one of which is a civilian analyst.)

The unit has an annual budget of approximately $2 million, broken down among the police departments, the bulk of which is provided by the Victoria police.

Saanich police Chief Mike Chadwick said he is disappointed. “It boggles my mind,” he said, adding that hardly a year has passed since the unit has been staffed at full capacity.

Graham said he wants the money to be used to fund an improved radio system, in lieu of the current problem-plagued CREST radio system.

He also said he would like to reassign one or two of the officers currently working in the unit to the department’s new domestic violence unit, which Graham wants up and running by the end of the year.

The idea for a regional crime-fighting unit was spawned in late 2006, when then-Solicitor General John Les ordered the region’s police departments to better coordinate investigations on street-level crimes like break and enters, robberies and car thefts which go beyond municipal borders. It was seen as a way to hammer down on the region’s most prolific offenders.

The problem, Graham said, is that while the province insisted they set up the unit, no money was provided to fund it.

“The funding was never there,” he said. “You can’t create a unit and not give them any money.”

Prolific offenders have always put a major strain on police resources, as officers say a small number of criminals commit the large majority of the crimes.

In June 2008, the unit earned high praise from former B.C. Solicitor General John van Dongen after busting a major identity theft operation in Saanich.

The regional crime unit also helped in this week’s major drug bust which saw 22.5 kilograms of cocaine seized and eight people arrested.

kderosa@tc.canwest.com