The workload facing Nelson's police officers is among the highest in the province– meanwhile, the department is faced with consistent short-staffing, and what Nelson's police chief calls a "perfect storm" of challenges, leaving officers overworked and contributing to misconduct in the force.

That insight into the inner workings of the local police came during a Nelson city council meeting on Tuesday night, as Donovan Fisher held a budget request presentation to ask for increased funding for the department.

"Consistently, 20 per cent of the staff are off regularly for significant period of stress and mental health, and this past year, we have been working with 50 per cent or more off for a significant portion of the year which contributes to fatigue and stress," Fisher said.

He added that the short-staffing also "makes officers prone to physical injuries in a number of matters that they encounter, and unfortunately contributes to some of the conduct issues we have seen and had to deal with.”

Fisher did not specify what conduct issues he was referring to, but, this summer, the department was rocked by allegations of racism among current and former Nelson police officers after the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC), acknowledged it had launched an investigation into a WhatsApp group. And in November, the department announced that an officer had come under investigation for use of force.

OPCC told KCR News that the investigation is still ongoing.

Fisher asked for 6.8 per cent financial increase, or around $275,000 more for 2023 from the city budget, which will be used for projected salary increases and training for new officers and meeting increased standards for current officers, but the department will not expand outside the current 20 employees. Around 55 per cent of the officers in Nelson are eligible for retirement.

The department is currently looking into creating a position for a community safety officer who would respond to low-risk tasks and be a visible presence together with outreach organizations, but has still not determined the funding for that project. Fisher said a position like that would take pressure off the regular police officers, who often need to respond to rapid calls while dealing with lighter tasks.

Nelson spends around $4 million annually on its police force.

Listen to a KCR News report on the presentation