Although the duties and authorities of the members and civilian staff of the West Vancouver Police Department are regulated by a number of local, provincial and federal statutes, the Department has its own set of standards called Policies and Procedures. Each Policy describes the overall plan or direction as it relates to a particular subject matter, while the Procedures are the comprehensive guidelines which the employees follow in support of that Policy. It is the responsibility of the Planning and Research Section to continually develop and maintain all Policies and Procedures to ensure the members and staff will have access to the most current and best practices. This guarantees the Department is functioning in the safest and most efficient manner possible.

Recently Approved by the Police Board

The West Vancouver Police Department has embarked on a project to review and update all departmental policies and procedures. This project will take several years to complete, with the most high risk areas, such as pursuits and use of force, being addressed first. As part of our commitment to transparency and accountability, all revised Administrative policies and procedures will be released publicly, once approved by the Police Board (subject to some vetting to safeguard sensitive information).