A Victoria, B.C., police officer has been suspended from duty after being charged with sexual assault for an alleged off-duty incident that resulted in a year-long external criminal investigation by the RCMP.
Victoria Police Department Chief Const. Fiona Wilson announced the single charge against Const. Chris Kayiatos during a recent press conference where she emphasized the importance of transparency, noting that such an event could “shake the public’s trust.”
Cases involving an officer “are serious for those directly affected, and they are serious for public confidence in policing,” she said.
“When a police officer is charged with a criminal offence, it has a broader effect on trust, on our profession, and on the many members of this organization, who serve our communities with integrity each and every day,” she said.
The charge against the 31-year-old Kayiatos stems from an alleged incident first reported to the department last April by a third-party agency. Wilson said the department immediately engaged the West Shore RCMP in Victoria as the police of jurisdiction.
Kayiatos joined the department in 2019 and continued to work over the course of the investigation. The chief described the officer as a “uniformed, front-line member” of the department until his official suspension last week. A press release said his duty status would be “subject to continual review and assessment.”
“There is no information that leads us to believe that Const. Kayiatos’ conduct is related to on-duty behaviour,” Wilson added.
The department has fully cooperated with the RCMP investigation, she said, noting that her department had risk-mitigation strategies in place while Kayiatos was under investigation to protect both the department and public.
The chief declined to comment on the actual case, but said in the press release that Kayiatos is entitled to the presumption of innocence. She referred questions about the victim and the incident to the Mounties.
A representative from the RCMP E Division said the alleged incident took place in October 2024 but declined to comment further because the matter is before the courts.
The chief also commended the person who reported the alleged incident.
“We recognize that speaking about experiences of this nature can be profoundly difficult, and I commend the strength and resolve it took to do so,” she said.
The department is offering support for staff, Wilson said. She encouraged any officers who are struggling to “reach out through their chain of command” for help.
