Two officers with the Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS) have been arrested and charged with sexual assault after an investigation by Vancouver police, the VPD said Tuesday at a news conference.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said that it initiated an investigation at the request of the CSPS on Oct. 28.
In an earlier statement, the VPD said that a person came forward with information about two officers who allegedly had “unlawful sexual contact” with a woman they met while on duty.
Two officers with the Central Saanich Police Service — Matthew Ball, 43, and Ryan Johnston, 40 — have been charged with one count each of sexual assault.
Vancouver police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson told reporters the two officers had each had relationships with a vulnerable woman in her mid-20s, who was an adult at the time of the alleged offences.
“Current evidence suggests that each officer formed separate, intimate and inappropriate relationships with the woman at different times after meeting her during the course of their duties,” she said.
“Allegations like these are deeply corrosive to the public trust police officers depend on to keep their communities safe.”
Ball was charged in relation to offences that are alleged to have happened between Feb. 1, 2019, and Oct. 31, 2023, in Central Saanich. He has also been charged with one count of breach of trust.
Johnston was charged in relation to offences that allegedly occurred between Feb. 6 and March 8, 2020.
Wilson said that Ball, a sergeant who worked as a patrol officer when he was arrested, had served with the Calgary Police Service for around 12 years before he joined the CSPS in 2016.
Johnston, a constable in the CSPS general investigation section, was hired in 2017.
Wilson said that she was in touch with CSPS Chief Const. Ian Lawson over the allegations, as well as the Calgary Police Service.
In a statement, the Calgary Police Service said it had been notified of the charges laid against Ball.
“We are deeply disappointed that this former member is alleged to have conducted themselves in this manner,” the statement read. “This behaviour is not reflective of the values of our Service, nor the good work done by the majority of our members every day.”
Central Saanich is a municipality in Greater Victoria, about 20 kilometres north of the provincial capital. It had a population of just under 17,400 people as of the 2021 census.
In a statement on the police service’s website, the Central Saanich Police Service said it had 28 officers and six civilian members.
Wilson said that it’s likely the two officers knew each other, but investigators do not believe they acted together in the alleged offences.
Vancouver police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson provides a media update on two officers with the Central Saanich Police Service who were arrested and charged following allegations of unlawful sexual contact after a police investigation.
Lawson said in a statement that the service had notified the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner about the charges and an investigation by the police watchdog was now underway.
“It would be an understatement to say that I was shocked and saddened to learn about these allegations,” Lawson said.
Lawson said the members had been suspended, and the service was moving to suspend them without pay after consulting with senior legal counsel.
The chief constable added that Central Saanich was a community where many knew police officers by their first name, and the allegations would affect public trust.
The VPD said that it took both men into custody on Tuesday morning with assistance from Victoria police.
They are asking for anyone with more information on the case to call them on a dedicated tipline at 604-717-0604.