Victoria Police strongly urged B.C. to act on tent city last year before it grew out of control, a newly released letter shows.

Deputy Chief Const. Steven Ing warned the province’s position of non-interference regarding the Victoria Courthouse encampment was “unsustainable."

Ing's letter to a B.C. court services official was written in November, but was only released to the media on Monday.

“Past experience has demonstrated that allowing entrenchment of campers in an open area that has not been designed for permanent camping leads to numerous public safety and public order issues,” Ing wrote. “Past experience has also shown that a proactive approach to these types of situations is preferable to a reactive approach once the situation reaches a critical level.”

Ing said the purpose of the letter was to confirm the province’s stance on tent city in order to plan a coordinated response, “should public safety or the broader public interest require intervention in the near future.”

He ended the letter by saying police were willing to work with the government to manage the situation.

The force said it made the Nov. 2015 letter public Monday in the interest of transparency, but wouldn’t comment further on the matter.

Earlier this year, the province filed a temporary injunction request to try to force campers off the lawn, but it was denied earlier this month in B.C. Supreme Court.

Arguments for and against a permanent injunction will be heard at a trial set for Sept. 7.

Back in November, the encampment on the lawn of the Victoria Courthouse was just a fraction of its current size.

About 100 people now call tent city home amid complaints from area neighbours and businesses over its continued existence. (LINK TO CHAMBER STORY)

Opponents reacted by forming a group called “Mad as Hell” – the same group that pushed Victoria Police to make the letter public.

“I’m glad that it’s public and we didn’t have to go through an FOI to get it, but it’s just very unfortunate that we found out everything we were told is true,” said Mad as Hell spokesman Stephen Hammond. “The fact is, we had a senior person in the Victoria Police Department…saying ‘Don’t do this, and if you do this, get our assistance,’ and it looks like they did none of that.”

The group is now calling on the government to cover all costs associated with the encampment and also wants the city to provide 24-hour police protection at the site.

“We expect every penny to be paid for, and we also expect the province to reimburse every citizen who has had their bike stolen, who has had all kinds of other things stolen, whether they’ve had damage to their property, or all the money that they’ve had to spend for extra protection,” he said. “This is completely, 100 per cent the fault of the provincial government.”

Hammond’s isn’t the only group to come out swinging against tent city.

Last week, Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Carter said businesses have suffered because the encampment has been allowed to remain.

Meanwhile, B.C. has said it will bring in non-profit Portland Hotel Society to help manage camper safety following a number of recommendations made by a fire commissioner.

Those recommendations include a ban on open flames and minimum spacing requirements between tents.

Campers have called for the money being spent on bringing in PHS to be redirected to them, saying they don’t need outside help.

The camp sprang up last fall under a loophole in a Victoria bylaw that prohibits camping in city parks.

Because the land is provincially owned, the bylaw doesn’t apply.

Read Victoria Police Deputy Chief Const. Steven Ing's full letter below.