Victoria police chief wants more powers for hospital security – BC [Video]

Victoria’s police chief is calling on the provincial government to give more power to hospital security guards.

Chief Del Manak made the comments Friday, as he decried growing hospital wait times for mental health patients that can keep police officers off the streets for hours.

Manak said officers who apprehend someone under the Mental Health Act and bring them to a hospital are unable to leave until the patient is seen.

“We expect there is going to be some wait times, there’s no doubt about it, but what we are seeing is it is trending in the wrong direction and it has become concerning,” Manak said.

“I have got police officers that are tied up at the hospital unnecessarily for long periods of time.”

Manak said in the past, officers waited an average of about an hour and 20 minutes, which climbed to about an hour and 47 minutes last fall and …