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Police, firefighters and paramedics are so overwhelmed with drug-related 911 calls in the days after welfare cheques are issued that Victoria’s police chief wants the province to consider staggering distribution of the cheques throughout the month.

“Generally speaking, we see a spike during the evening of welfare Wednesday and the day or two after of overdose calls, disturbances, drug activity occurring. Sometimes someone has been defrauded or robbed,” Police Chief Del Manak said.

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“A lot of it has to do with addictions and over consumption of alcohol and drug use.”

Manak outlined the problem in a Feb. 22 letter to Sheila Taylor, deputy minister of social development and poverty reduction.

The spike in calls “taxes emergency service resources, many of whom are already operating at or beyond capacity,” Manak wrote.

He acknowledged that changes to the welfare system could be costly and complex, but urged Taylor to consider a pilot project in a B.C. community.