Series CR004 - Police and Fire photos

Before incorporation, policing in the dockyard and village was carried out at different times by the Dominion Police, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. After 1912, this task was undertaken by the Esquimalt Municipal Police, the Esquimalt Police-Fire Department and the Victoria Police Department. Early police constables were also unofficially responsible for fire protection as the Fire Marshall position was held by the Police Chief. In September 1943, Council informed the Board of Police Commissioners that police officers would also be the official firefighters for the municipality. In 1957, the title Police-Fire Chief replaced Police Chief and Fire Marshall.

The Esquimalt Police-Fire Department was one of the few dual police-fires services in Canada. The force withstood many challenges from within the department and from both council and taxpayers to separate. In 1964, the police union tried to negotiate itself out of firefighting duties. Difficulties surfaced again in the late 1970s after a major fire. These difficulties were temporarily solved with more personnel and better training for all members of the department. Another change took place in the 1980s when a designated police officer with no firefighting responsibilities was authorized to serve on every shift.

In 2002, at the request of Mayor Ray Rice of Esquimalt and Mayor Alan Lowe of Victoria, the Solicitor General, the Honourable Rich Coleman announced the separation of the dual force. The policing of Esquimalt became the responsibility of an amalgamated City of Victoria and Township of Esquimalt police force under the guidance of the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board. Mayor Darwin Robinson of Esquimalt (newly elected in 2002) reversed a similar plan to amalgamate fire services and instead approved the formation of the Esquimalt Fire Department in 2003.