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The Vancouver Police Department has formed a new response team to address low-level crime and street riots that the department had not previously considered high priorities.
The relocation is the result of a survey commissioned by the VPD to measure the public’s perception of safety in the city.
“This team will deal with those lower priority calls like the person who uses drugs in the park, like the person who might be sleeping on your door and you can’t get in or out of your building, like the person who might scare your customers of in front of your business, “Deputy Chief Const said. Howard Chow.
According to the VPD survey, 78% of respondents are concerned about crime in the city, with 61% saying they believe it was worse than last year.
Last month, the VPD reported that crime levels in 2020 were similar to those in 2019.
Chow said the VPD uses data and analytics on a daily basis to target crime hotspots, but that hard data doesn’t give police an idea of how people feel about neighborhood safety on a daily basis.
The new unit will focus on calls from neighborhoods identified as problem spots such as Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Gastown, and Granville Entertainment District.
“It is important to be transparent and take a careful look at what we are facing here in the city. This is our job – my job as Deputy Operative – that the public know the crime picture and the security picture in the their neighborhood. “
Vancouver has allocated $ 340.4 million to fund the VPD budget for 2020, more than a fifth of the city’s entire operating budget.
During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the board passed a motion asking the force to take a 1% budget cut to help with the costs of the pandemic.
The survey was conducted from 6 to 14 October by the research company Leger. Of the 755 respondents, 48% live in Vancouver, 28% live and work in Vancouver, 13% work or conduct business in Vancouver, and 11% often visit the city.
A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probabilistic sample represented by a panel. However, for comparative purposes, a probability sample of 755 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent, 19 times out of 20.
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