Vancouver mayor, police chief to roll out public safety plan

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Vancouver Police Department Chief Adam Palmer are set to unveil a plan on Thursday afternoon which is being described as a “new long-term initiative targeting organized crime and public safety concerns” in the city.

While details of the plan are limited, 1130 NewsRadio has learned it will include a hyperfocus on certain neighbourhoods in the city to help bring down crime numbers.

Gastown, the Granville Entertainment District, and the Downtown Eastside are included. When it comes to organized crime, the messaging is expected to be blunt and simple.

The execution of this plan is also expected to require more officers. When it comes to funding, 1130 has learned that figure could be less than $10 million in additional money which will come down later this year when the city’s budget is altered.

The other question mark around this announcement is Sim’s 2022 campaign promise of hiring 100 police officers and nurses. 1130 has been told that 100 officers have been hired, but due to attrition, retirement, and members going to other police departments, such as the Surrey Police Service (SPS), those numbers have fluctuated.

As for the 100 nurses, that hiring falls to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). 1130 has been told the health authority, in conjunction with the city, felt just over 50 nurses are currently required. However, three years later, roughly 40 have been brought on board.

1130 has reached out to VCH for comment.

1130 was also told that the campaign promise, although very big, was just “politics.”

This announcement comes after Sim revealed a plan to revitalize the Downtown Eastside at the end of last month. Speaking at a forum held by the Save Our Streets B.C. Coalition, Sim announced his plan to transform the neighbourhood by breaking up supportive housing, shelter services, and social services to encourage a mix of housing and businesses.

Referring to the Downtown Eastside as a “poverty industrial complex,” Sim said that it attracts “predatory criminals” who victimize residents and businesses.

“We’ll support the Vancouver Police Department in launching a citywide crackdown on gangs, equipping law enforcement with the tools to target these criminal networks that prey on our most vulnerable residents,” he said on Jan. 23.

Sim referenced a VPD report released on Dec. 23 that showed that crime continues to decline in the city. “Total crime has decreased by 7.4 per cent; violent crime is down 7 per cent; and property crime has dropped by 10.3 per cent,” Sim explained.

He argued that his coming plan was justified by recent instances of random stranger assaults, which he says “have had a devastating impact.”

In September last year, Statistics Canada data showed the overall per capita crime rate, based on police reports, was down in B.C. by about 3 per cent since 2018. The violent crime rate often cited by business leaders, shows it was up by more than 32 per cent since 2018, having spiked sharply in 2019, but it has been mostly unchanged since then. Vancouver and Victoria have both seen a 9 per cent rise in violent crime, per capita, since 2018, StatCan data showed.

As of early November 2024, police in Vancouver shared that violent offences were down 6.6 per cent from the previous year; property crimes were down 10.7 per cent; and calls for service were down 0.4 per cent. Police say there were 12 “culpable” homicides in Vancouver in 2023; in 2024, there were only nine. Meanwhile, police response time in Vancouver increased by 0.8 per cent — five seconds slower than the same reporting period in 2023.

Thursday’s news conference is at 1:30 p.m. at Vancouver City Hall.

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With files from Kier Junos, Charlie Carey, and Charles Brockman.