Vancouver police say violence and street crime have dropped in the Downtown Eastside since the launch of a dedicated police task force.
Task Force Barrage was launched three months ago to target criminals and criminal activity in the Downtown Eastside.
“While we’re making life harder for violent offenders and organized criminals, we’re also working with the community to improve safety and build relationships,” Insp. Gary Hiar, commanding officer of Task Force Barrage, said in a statement.
“This work will require a sustained effort and there’s still a long road ahead.”
According to the Vancouver police, since the launch of the task force, officers have seized 745 weapons including 79 guns (14 real/65 replica); made 414 warrant arrests (five a day) and made 258 reports to Crown counsel for charges.
Teams have been deployed to Gastown, Chinatown and Hastings Street, police said, and officers also conducted co-ordinated investigations to target violent offenders and organized criminals, working with staff from housing providers and helping the City of Vancouver address street disorder and sanitation issues.
Get breaking National news
“We don’t want this task force to come to an end after six months and have all the gains we’ve made, all the progress we made, go for not,” Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said.
“There will be discussions, wider discussions, about how we sustain this, not just from the VPD, but from the community as a whole, the collective.”
The Vancouver police provided data about each neighbourhood, saying the numbers show violence and most property crime is trending lower in four neighbourhoods compared with 2024.
Violent crime
- Downtown Eastside: down 13 per cent
- Gastown: down 13 per cent
- Chinatown: down 26 per cent
- Strathcona: down 14 per cent
Serious assaults
- World junior trial: Court watches Michael McLeod’s 2018 police interview
- Quebec to crack down on prison smuggling with scanners, cellular jamming, drone defences
- Florida fisherman sentenced to prison for shooting, poisoning dolphins
- Former police chief, convicted of rape and murder, escapes Arkansas prison
- Downtown Eastside: down 13 per cent
- Gastown: down 17 per cent
- Chinatown: down 17 per cent
- Strathcona: down 20 per cent
Robberies
- Downtown Eastside: down 35 per cent
- Gastown: no change
- Chinatown: down 57 per cent
- Strathcona: down nine per cent
Commercial break and enters
- Downtown Eastside: down 42 per cent
- Gastown: down 47 per cent
- Chinatown: down 86 per cent
- Strathcona: down 67 per cent
Residential break and enters
- Downtown Eastside: down 38 per cent
- Gastown: no change
- Chinatown: down 25 per cent
- Strathcona: up 43 per cent (increase from seven to 10)
The Vancouver Police Department defines Strathcona as Waterfront Road (north) to Prior Street (south) and from Main Street (west) to Jackson Avenue (east).
Comments