An on-duty Victoria police officer faced online criticism after giving a thumbs up Saturday (Jan. 29) to demonstrators calling for governments to scrap COVID-19 related mandates.

Videos circulating on social media capture a uniformed VicPD officer giving a thumbs up 含羞草研究社� while driving an Esquimalt Division police car along Belleville Street 含羞草研究社� amidst a crowd gathered near the B.C. legislature. Thousands attended the area that day to call for an end to provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

While the city含羞草研究社檚 police chief claimed the officer含羞草研究社檚 gesture 含羞草研究社渨as responding to appreciative comments from citizens,含羞草研究社� one expert who studies police communication and perception said the gesture opens the door for the public to question the local force含羞草研究社檚 credibility and bias.

Victoria police Chief Const. Del Manak said that when he first saw the video Monday, he 含羞草研究社渋nitially viewed it with concern since impartiality and neutrality are key to serving our community as police officers.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 have since spoken to the officer, who told me that he was responding to appreciative comments from citizens about VicPD含羞草研究社檚 presence in ensuring public safety at this event,含羞草研究社� Manak said in a statement.

He added that while police impartiality and neutrality are essential when attending protests, 含羞草研究社渟o is proactive engagement with protest participants and bystanders in the interest of public safety.含羞草研究社�

READ:

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, who co-chairs the Victoria and Esquimalt police board, was not aware of the video when Black Press Media asked for comment early on Monday afternoon.

含羞草研究社淚 have requested the police board be given a report on this to inform us,含羞草研究社� Desjardins said in an email.

While Manak contends the officer含羞草研究社檚 action was not showing support for the demonstrators含羞草研究社� cause, Michelle Bonner, a University of Victoria political science professor, said the thumbs-up was an odd choice, as it can be perceived that the officer is taking a side on the protest.

含羞草研究社淚deally, the police are established in most countries as being apolitical,含羞草研究社� said Bonner, who has researched how police present themselves to the public for the last two decades. Police are supposed to apply the law equally, she added, so it含羞草研究社檚 essential that they at least seem absent of political stances.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 very important to their legitimacy to be perceived as politically neutral,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚f they含羞草研究社檙e taking a position on a particular protest, be it positive or negative, they含羞草研究社檙e communicating to the public that some citizens含羞草研究社� actions are acceptable to them and some citizens含羞草研究社� actions are not acceptable to them 含羞草研究社� not based on law, but based on (an officer含羞草研究社檚) own perception.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淲e don含羞草研究社檛 want a police force making choices based on their perception, but based on the law.含羞草研究社�

Questions on police bias can arise if they approach enforcement differently with different protest groups, Bonner said. 含羞草研究社淭hat all undermines the idea of police neutrality.含羞草研究社�

Asked if guidelines exist that bar on-duty officers from showing support for partisan causes, both the City of Victoria and the Ministry of Public Safety directed Black Press Media to Victoria police. VicPD did not respond to two requests for comment on whether such guidelines exist.

The officer who gave the thumbs up to the crowd also appears to not be wearing a mask when the video was taken. VicPD also didn含羞草研究社檛 respond to a question about their current masking guidelines for officers.

READ: