Vancouver officials tout $5M plan to ramp up policing in Downtown Eastside

Vancouver's mayor and police chief stood shoulder-to-shoulder Thursday to announce their plans to clean up the Downtown Eastside - literally and figuratively.

The Vancouver Police Department will see $5 million added to its budget to fund a crackdown on crime on the Downtown Eastside that will include deploying a “surge capacity” of patrol officers for the foreseeable future, officials announced Thursday.

Mayor Ken Sim and Chief Const. Adam Palmer held a news conference to unveil “Task Force Barrage,” described as a long-term operation to improve public safety, claiming the increase in officers on the beat will help police combat “organized crime networks” and arrest “predatory criminals” – without targeting the neighbourhood’s vulnerable residents.

“This isn’t just about public safety. This is a humanitarian crisis, and the situation for the Downtown Eastside has reached a tipping point. Today, we take the first step towards ending the cycle of violence,” Sim said.

“This will not and cannot be a short-term operation. This will be a long term, sustained effort to disrupt criminal networks, hold offenders accountable and make our streets safer.”

Palmer would not say how many additional officers will be on patrol on a daily basis, only saying it will be a “a significant number” and that “it’s a lot of resources we’re going to bring to bear on this.” One way the police presence will be ramped up is by offering officers overtime to work extra shifts in the neighbourhood, he said.

The chief said one of the “primary functions” of the extra patrol officers would be to target people who are “chronic offenders,” breaching their bail conditions, or who have outstanding warrants.

In addition to more high-visibility officers patrolling streets and alleyways, Palmer said the project will allow the department to undertake more “co-ordinated and complex investigations” into organized and violent crime. The third component of the project, according to Palmer, will involve work to “improve community partnerships.”

Praise, denunciation, concern in response

Reaction to the policy announcement was swift, with the president of the Gastown Residents' Association in attendance to speak on behalf of the Downtown Eastside’s neighbouring community.

“(We feel) they’re working for us, so we’re very pleased to hear about this,” said Brian Davie.

Sim’s former chief of staff and campaign manager – who is a prominent political strategist, and has recently joined the board of Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society – was disturbed by what he read and heard.

“Using words like ‘barrage’ and ‘surge’ are reminiscent of the Gulf War,” said Kareem Allam. “These people aren’t enemies of Canada, these people are our friends or brothers or sisters, and to say that we need to sweep streets, it implies that the mayor and maybe those in his council may believe that these people are garbage. No, they’re human beings.”

The sole opposition councilor at city hall welcomed the idea of going after hard-core criminals, but questioned why the police were asking for new funds two months after their budget was approved, with some task force objectives still unclear.

“Are we talking about mass incarceration for people or are we shipping them out of the city?” asked Pete Fry, with the Green Party. “I’m not sure where they’re going with this.”

City was pushed to disclose cost

Despite lengthy speeches lasting some 30 minutes, and a 460-word press release, there was no disclosure of the $5 million anticipated cost until CTV News asked, then pressed about whether it would be new or re-allocated funding.

Sim called it “an investment.”

The project and its funding, Palmer said, are necessary because of how prevalent crime is in the area. While the neighbourhood’s population accounts for three per cent of the city’s overall residents, nearly one third of violent crimes happen on the Downtown Eastside.

The chief said he and the mayor are also “very alive” to the fact that people who are homeless and those who have mental health issues are disproportionately likely to be victimized.

“We’re not here to target everyday residents of the Downtown Eastside community,” Palmer said, offering a pre-emptive response to criticism.

“We’re not here to target people that happen to be struggling with addiction issues, and especially those who are living with complex mental health issues. That’s not our goal.”

Palmer was asked what, exactly, police will be doing differently and why the department’s existing budget of more than $420 million can’t cover the cost of Task Force Barrage – particularly given that overall crime is down city-wide year-over year.

One specific thing Palmer pointed to is an increase in the capacity of Integrated Response Teams, which began working in the neighbourhood late last year and are comprised of police, firefighters and city staff who address non-criminal issues.

“You can go around and arrest people for committing crime, but people will still not feel safe if they go down there and there’s structures and tents, and people openly using drugs on the street, and filth and garbage and excrement everywhere,” Palmer said, adding “that is something new.”

Sim also defended the extra funding, saying maintaining the status quo is far more costly and that funding this project is “probably the best investment we can ever make.”

As for how far the $5 million will go, Palmer said he thinks it will go a “long way” but is prepared to go back and ask council for additional funding if and when it runs out. The chief also noted there is no end date for the project.

In terms of gauging impact, none of the officials could say what metrics they would be using to measure the effectiveness of Task Force Barrage.

Nevertheless, Palmer said he is “really, really confident” it will yield results.