Two officers with the Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS) have been arrested and charged with sexual assault after an investigation by Vancouver police, according to a police statement.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said Tuesday that it initiated an investigation at the request of the CSPS on Oct. 28.

In a statement, the VPD said that a person came forward with information about two officers who allegedly had “unlawful sexual contact” with a woman they met while on duty.

Two officers with the Central Saanich Police Service — Matthew Ball, 43, and Ryan Johnston, 40 — have been charged with one count each of sexual assault.

Vancouver police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson in January 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson is set to hold a news conference with more details at 4 p.m. PT.

“Allegations like these are deeply corrosive to the public trust police officers depend on to keep their communities safe,” she said in a statement before the news conference.

The Vancouver Police Department announced the arrests on Tuesday afternoon. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

Ball was charged in relation to offences that are alleged to have happened between Feb. 1, 2019, and Oct. 31, 2023, in Central Saanich. He has also been charged with one count of breach of trust.

Johnston was charged in relation to offences that allegedly occurred between Feb. 6 and March 8, 2020.

Central Saanich is a municipality in Greater Victoria, about 20 kilometres north of the provincial capital. It had a population of just under 17,400 people as of the 2021 census.

In a statement on the police service’s website, the Central Saanich Police Department said it had 28 officers and six civilian members.

The VPD said that it took both men into custody on Tuesday morning with assistance from Victoria police.

They are asking for anyone with more information on the case to call them.