Vancouver’s West End sees decreases in crime amid loosened restrictions

With the return of nightlife, and large in-person events, the summer could be a big one for Vancouver’s West End, and businesses in the area are noticing a trend as of late: less crime.

Teri Smith with the West End Business Improvement Association says owners were noticing a lot of property crime just a few months ago, but since restrictions were lifted, crime has become less prominent.

“More people are feeling comfortable to come back and businesses tourism has resumed. So there’s just a lot more people on the street. And whenever there’s more people, there’s that added perception of safety — more eyes and ears. And I think that’s really contributed a lot,” Smith said.

According to the West End Community Policing Centre, car thefts have decreased 37 per cent from March to April alone, and mischief is down 42 per cent.

The positive news comes after a special crime and safety meeting was held at Vancouver City Hall last month to address downtown residents’ fears of rising crime.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging couple of years for our businesses and they’ve persevered and been very resilient,” Smith added.

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Many business owners have dealt with financial hardships due to the pandemic, and the reported downward trend in crime over the past few months and a suspected increase in tourism may help give them much-needed hope.

Shannon Linning, an assistant professor of criminology at SFU, says the drop in crime can be attributed to “controllers.”

“There are these things that we refer to as controllers: There are people who control places, there are also people who might oversee or protect these particular targets, and then people who might intervene with those who are committing crimes as well,” Linning explained.

“Through this pandemic, there’s been a disruption to what’s needed in order for crime events to actually occur. So if we don’t have any guardians, who are protecting places; if businesses shut down, there aren’t people who are actively using those places, they can seem more attractive to people who might be looking to commit various crimes.”

She adds with more people frequenting the West End — to live, work, or play — the increased foot traffic acts as a “controller” to deter and possibly even stop crime.

“We saw more people coming into areas, businesses reopening, their employees being stationed there regularly who could be these eyes on the street to oversee what’s happening … Crime can actually go down because now the opportunity for crime has declined.”

With a busy summer on the horizon for Vancouver, Linning says the community can expect to see a significant reduction in the crime that was once rampant.