Victoria Police Department

Situation

The Victoria Police Department needed help. Under pressure from an angry public and nervous city council to react to a growing problem with street crime, it faced the problem of a bruised public reputation and openly sceptical city councillors who weren’t convinced that giving the police more resources was going to solve anything. The new police chief wanted a way to convince his civic bosses and by extension, the rest of the community, that the force had a clear vision for the future, a solid plan to get there the discipline to deliver measurable results. But to do that, he needed to win over sceptics among the public and within his own organization. So he turned to Acumen to help.

Objectives

• To counter the immediate staffing issues, the Victoria Police wanted a budget increase to hire 19 new officers. To do that, they needed to gain the support and cooperation of the civic councils of Victoria and Esquimalt.
• Even with a budget increase, the force faced a growing problem of finding qualified candidates in an increasingly difficult job market. To compete with other forces and raise their own profile in the community, the Victoria Police needed a new visual identity for the 21st century.
• The force needed to show it had the leadership and vision the public demanded. They needed a new strategic plan and the materials to tell their story.
• Meet with councilors and community groups to identify key issues.
• Develop presentation materials, key messages and public documents to support budget request.
• Create and deliver new 3-year strategic planning document, featuring Vic PD’s new vision, mission and goals, strategies to meet the goals and key success measures.
• Design and roll-out new corporate identity, including new logo, taglines, internal and external messaging, posters, brochures, banners, recruiting materials and various communication materials.
• Redesign existing website and develop new content, including recruiting pages, community contacts, background materials, media room and public information areas.
• Develop new corporate policy and procedures manual for internal staff.
• Design new corporate intranet site to deliver complete human resources materials and internal communications for police staff and volunteers.

Outcome

In early 2008, VIC PD got the go-ahead from council to hire 19 new officers - the single biggest budget increase in the force's history. The roll-out of the force’s new visual identity and the three-year strategic plan won endorsement from city council, local community groups and media commentators. The new branding initiatives, website redesigns and recruiting materials have increased the number of applicants looking to join Vic PD by 150%.