Vancouver Police have announced that they will implement new, additional public safety measures in specific parts of downtown Vancouver in response to citizen concerns.
“Over the past several weeks, the VPD has received a significant number of messages and emails from residents in Yaletown, and the surrounding area, voicing concern about feeling unsafe in the neighbourhood,” says Constable Tania Visintin, VPD. “To address these concerns, the VPD is implementing several proactive measures to increase safety for all residents.”
Last week, a group of concerned residents in the Yaletown area said a man exposed himself during the daytime while jumping on a woman's car in the middle of a Downtown Vancouver intersection.
Specifically, the VPD will:
- deploy more police officers on bicycles in the area. These officers will have more flexibility to patrol lane ways and parking lots and be more accessible to all residents,
- increase patrols in the area by officers already in regular rotation downtown,
- liaise regularly with staff at new social housing shelters nearby to ensure staff and residents are connected with the public safety resources they need, and
- continue liaising with mental health outreach teams to ensure proper follow up with high risk individuals.
“We want to ensure all residents downtown feel safe. This requires the proper support from public safety officials, local government and the provincial government,” adds Visintin.
Earlier this month, a group called Safer Vancouver launched a Change.org campaign entitled "A Safer Vancouver." The campaign states that the city has seen a dramatic increase in, "illegal open drug use, discarded dirty needles, encampments in community parks and public spaces, increased break-ins and theft, violent and aggressive behaviour" over the past few years.
Back in April, the B.C. government unveiled a plan to move close to 700 homeless people from camps in Vancouver and Victoria into hotels, motels and community centres. Under the Emergency Program Act, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth ordered that all residents of Oppenheimer Tent City evacuate the park by noon on May 9. This order was said to promote health and safety of residents, visitors, health workers, and support workers from COVID-19.
However, not all of the former Oppenheimer campers felt that the move served their best interests. A few of them state that many homeless people have been negatively affected by the move, while others say they were bumped off the housing list.
Safer Vancouver underscores that they understand that people on the street are fighting with mental health and addiction issues. However, they say that the temporary housing arrangement isn't an effective way to help people.
The VPD continues to engage with BC Housing, the City of Vancouver and the management companies running new temporary supportive housing in the area to bring forward concerns expressed to police by residents and to advise all partners of new or emerging public safety issues.
