Four years ago, the Downtown Eastside was in a terrible state, with tents lining both sides of the street and high levels of violent crime.
Your ABC Vancouver team has worked hard to make structural changes in the Downtown Eastside: protecting the most vulnerable residents of our community, holding criminals to account, and making Vancouver safer for everyone.
It started with removing dangerous encampments, where large amounts of weapons, dangerous structures, and unsafe conditions were discovered.
Building on that progress, Task Force Barrage brought increased police presence to the area, resulting in a 44% decline in robberies, an 18% decline in violent crime, and a 34% decline in structure fires.
Task Force Barrage was so successful that the VPD established a dedicated police district for the Downtown Eastside and surrounding areas, ensuring the neighbourhood receives focused attention and support day in and day out.
In addition, the opening of a new police training centre in the Woodward’s complex will bring a daily presence of VPD officers and officers-in-training to the neighbourhood. This brings long-term stability, renewed activity, and vibrancy back to the area.
We know there is still more work to be done, but after decades of decline, we’re proud to see this heading in the right direction. We must keep moving forward.