Over the last several months, there have been a few notable and scary violent incidents around Vancouver involving violent crime.
Despite the gravity and seriousness of some of those incidents, like the Toronto tourist who said someone tried to kill her, and several other stranger attacks, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says that violent crime is down in four key neighbourhoods.
On Thursday morning, the VPD revealed some numbers from Task Force Barrage, which was established earlier this year in February.
One of the key highlights from the task force update is that violent crime in four neighbourhoods is down compared to 2024. This data is from the last three months:
- Down 13 per cent in the Downtown Eastside
- Down 13 per cent in Gastown
- Down 26 per cent in Chinatown
- Down 14 per cent in Strathcona
VPD also revealed the following numbers for serious assaults compared to 2024:
- Down 13 per cent in the Downtown Eastside
- Down 17 per cent in Gastown
- Down 17 per cent in Chinatown
- Down 20 per cent in Strathcona
A few categories of crimes didn’t improve in specific neighbourhoods. For robberies, Gastown saw no change compared to 2024. It also saw no change in residential break-ins. In Strathcona, residential break-ins actually increased by 43 per cent compared to last year (seven in 2024 compared to 10 this year).
Since February, as part of Task Force Barrage, VPD seized 745 weapons, 79 guns (14 of which were real, the others were replicas), conducted 414 warrant arrests, and submitted 258 reports to Crown counsel.
“We created Task Force Barrage to target criminals and predators who have made the Downtown Eastside dangerous for people who live there,” said Inspector Gary Hiar, commanding officer of Task Force Barrage, in a statement.
“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. This work will require a sustained effort, and there’s still a long road ahead.”
This evening, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Vancouver Police Board Chair Frank Chong will hold a press conference to provide an update on public safety in Vancouver.
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