VicPD launches 'Before the Badge' community training program

Posted inNewsbyMackenzie Read April 23, 2025 5:00 pmApril 23, 2025 5:45 pmNew police recruits in Victoria will now have to undergo more training as VicPD has launched a new community training program.The ‘Before the Badge’ program aims to build better relationships with diversity groups in the city and with police.“We want to make sure that the officers know from day one, in fact before they get their badge, the importance of community connections,” Chief Del Manak said. In ‘Before the Badge,’ new recruits will take part in a week-long training program before they start formal training at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.Manak says this gives incoming officers an insight into who makes up the community and the cultural, social and religious barriers they face. “When an officer shows up in uniform to try and de-escalate a situation, what is it that they ought to be aware of, what are perhaps some barriers into building that rapport and into providing that assistance,” Manak exp...