Wreck Beach gettin' rowdy: Parks staff call for more police patrols

Metro Vancouver parks staff are asking for additional support from police to patrol Wreck Beach as more people visit the popular beach every year — leading to more emergencies.

In a report prepared for the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Committee Wednesday, parks staff say they’ve asked the University of British Columbia RCMP attachment for additional patrols in 2023.

“The noticeable absence of a regular police presence posed challenges in responding to
incidents involving drugs and alcohol and in closing the beach at night,” the report says.

Daily Hive has reached out to RCMP for comment.

The clothing-optional beach in Pacific Spirit Park, next to the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus, drew nearly 840,000 visitors in 2022, according to Metro Vancouver. Over the last five years, the number of people going to the beach has grown by 44%.

Metro Vancouver

Parks staff say Wreck Beach has a culture that’s “unique and vibrant but also safe, welcoming, and inclusive.” But due to the beach’s remote nature — down approximately 500 stairs through coastal rainforest — it’s difficult for first responders to get there in emergencies.

Emergency responders often rely on the Coast Guard’s hovercraft, an air-cushioned vehicle that can approach the beach from the ocean. But if the Coast Guard can’t transport a patient off the beach, they must be carried on a stretcher up the 500 stairs to an ambulance.

There were more than 178 emergency calls from Wreck Beach in 2021, according to Metro Vancouver.

In addition to requesting more police patrols, parks staff have also installed more signs about rules, Indigenous history, and the street addresses of various staircases — to assist those calling taxis or to call for help. They’ve also rearranged the logs to provide better sight lines for patrols, installed a solar-powered light at the top of the main staircase, and offered Naloxone kits and training to beach vendors.