The alleged assault occurred when the officer was off duty, and Victoria Police Chief Fiona Wilson says there have not been any concerns flagged about his on-duty behaviour.<\/p>\n
A Victoria police officer has been charged with sexual assault following a year-long criminal investigation by West Shore RCMP.<\/p>\n
Const. Chris Kayiatos was arrested on Thursday and suspended from his duties immediately following his arrest, said Victoria Police Chief Fiona Wilson.<\/p>\n
Wilson told reporters at a news conference Friday that the department was made aware of the alleged incident on April 10, 2025, through a third-party agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are naming him today in the interest of transparency and accountability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The alleged assault occurred when the officer was off duty, and West Shore RCMP took over the investigation \u201cgiven the seriousness of the information and the location of the incident,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Kayiatos, 31, is a front-line officer with VicPD who has been with the department since 2019.<\/p>\n
There have not been any concerns flagged about Kayiatos\u2019 on-duty behaviour, Wilson said.<\/p>\n
Kayiatos was previously involved in the Greater Victoria Police Foundation\u2019s police camp for youth.<\/p>\n
Wilson said Kayiatos is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but said allegations of this nature are \u201cextremely serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are serious for those directly affected, and they are serious for public confidence in policing,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
Wilson said she commends the courage of the individual who came forward to report the incident, as \u201cspeaking about experiences of this nature can be profoundly difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a police officer is charged with a criminal offence, it has a broader impact on trust, on policing and on the department, she said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether Kayiatos handled any sexual assault cases as part of his duties while he was under investigation by West Shore RCMP, Wilson said the department will be taking a \u201cmore fulsome look\u201d at his work as an officer in the coming months.<\/p>\n
Wilson said VicPD had risk-mitigation strategies in place while Kayiatos was under investigation to protect the department and public, but referred further questions to West Shore RCMP.<\/p>\n
West Shore RCMP is referring questions about the matter to the RCMP E Division, headquartered in Surrey.<\/p>\n
Sgt. Vanessa Munn of the RCMP E Division said the division is not in a position to comment, as the matter is before the courts.<\/p>\n
Wilson said she is limited in what she can share as the criminal investigation is continuing.<\/p>\n
VicPD members were informed about the arrest on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
Kayiatos is being supported through union engagement, peer support and human resources as he moves through the \u201cchallenging and difficult court process,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The matter has been referred to the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner.<\/p>\n
The Victoria City Police Union didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n