The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) recently revealed how many weapons it has seized from the streets as part of a Downtown Eastside crime task force.
Task Force Barrage has been underway for several months now.
Since February, when the task force was established, the VPD has seized 1,458 weapons, or an average of eight weapons per day.
That’s just one of the many accolades that the VPD is celebrating in a recent progress report.
VPD also shared that in the same period of time between February and August, it took 171 real and imitation firearms off the streets.
Over the past several months, since Task Force Barrage kicked off, Vancouver police have shared various updates, often displaying some of the weapons that have been recovered in the Downtown Eastside area, ranging from fake guns to swords.
VPD’s Deputy Chief Howard Chow also shared a photo of some of the weapons the VPD has seized just in the last two months.
Just some more guns and weapons seized in the DTES over the past 2 months. #TaskForceBarrage
If you ever wondered whether targeted enforcement & more policing presence makes a difference, take a look 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/8rkeJex1MF
— Howard Chow (@DeputyChow) August 22, 2025
Along with the weapon seizures, VPD revealed that overall violent crime in the area has decreased.
“Task Force Barrage continues to drive down crime in the Downtown Eastside. Between February 13 and August 12 of 2025, violent crime in the neighbourhood dropped by 18% compared to the same period in 2024,” VPD said in a post on X.
In response to the numbers and progress update that the VPD shared, many celebrated the results, including Tony Hunt. Hunt is a retail loss prevention officer whom we’ve spoken to in the past.
This is great work, taking those weapons off the street makes everyone safer; residents, visitors, service workers at our businesses. Well done @VancouverPD
— Tony Hunt (@LP_Tony) August 21, 2025
According to the VPD, the task force was established to “restore safety in the Downtown Eastside by targeting organized criminals, violent offenders, and street disorder that leads to increased crime and victimization.”