VICTORIA — Two new police training sites have been approved in Vancouver and Victoria to address a surge in demand for recruits from communities across British Columbia.

Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger announced the measure on Friday at the B.C. legislature, where she was joined by the police chiefs of Vancouver and Victoria among others.

“These new police training academies will allow police to enhance their recruiting efforts, strengthen succession planning and better respond to growing service demand,” Krieger said.

“This measure will help address the surge requirements for new police officers will maintaining the highest standards of training and professional preparation that communities expect.”

The facilities will operate under the oversight of the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy.

The B.C. government said the sites will initially operate for two years and be fully funded by participating police forces.

Krieger said financial self-sufficiency was one of the conditions for the province to approve the two academies.

Vancouver’s Chief Constable Steve Rai said the announcement will help the city fill about 300 vacancies.

He acknowledged the province’s requirement that the facility be financially self-sufficient.

“So, we had made contingencies within our operating budget to ensure it’s going to be self-funded,” Rai said. “We won’t be coming to the province for funding, nor the City of Vancouver and council.”

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said later that he welcomed provincial approval of the new training academy, which will be at the Woodwards complex in the Gastown neighbourhood. “This announcement delivers what we have been promising to Vancouver: a safer city for both residents and businesses,” he said in a statement.

While council passed a motion last week to support one-time set-up costs, Rai said the department would be responsible for further funding.

Victoria Chief Constable Fiona Wilson said funding for the new site in the provincial capital would come from housing and per diem costs that would have been spent on recruits attending the main academy campus in New Westminster.

She said local training would make life easier for her recruits.

The new training facility on Vancouver Island will also welcome recruits from other municipal police forces on Vancouver Island, including Saanich Police Department, Central Saanich Police Service and Oak Bay Police Department, Krieger said.

The government said that in addition to the approval of the new satellite training sites, the academy is expanding its training capacity at its main New Westminster campus by 50 per cent.