VPD designate headquarters as selling location following ‘violent robberies’

Vancouver police said Tuesday that if you’re meeting with a stranger to sell and buy wares, to use its “designated safe exchange location.”

The video statement, which would use the outside of VPD headquarters at 2120 Cambie Street, was shared in a warning to the public after a number of “violent robberies” this week.

Police say the last three days saw three people robbed, and some attacked, after arranging to sell merchandise on Facebook Marketplace.

????Make safer exchanges with our new designated safe exchange location at #VPD Headquarters located at 2120 Cambie Street in Vancouver. #personalsafety pic.twitter.com/oIVQv0Qh0q

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 27, 2022

On Saturday, officers say a 21-year-old man was trying to sell a phone in Champlain Heights when he was attacked by two young men posing as buyers.

The victim was hit in the head with a weapon, robbed, and then bear sprayed, according to police.

A day later, investigators say a man in his thirties set up a meet to sell two used phones in Champlain Heights.

The suspect, who officers say is a teenage boy, snatched the phones and ran away without harming the man.

Then on Monday, police say a man trying to sell a designer watch was robbed at gunpoint in a coffee shop in Kerrisdale.

The VPD says the suspect is a man in his 30s with a beard, and he was seen fleeing into a waiting vehicle.

“Each of these victims took precautions and arranged to meet in a public place,” said Sgt. Steve Addison in the warning shared on Twitter.

“Still, that wasn’t enough to prevent them from being robbed and victimized – and that has us incredibly concerned.”

Police add they’re working to figure out if these robberies are linked.

Addison says the safest place to meet up with a stranger to buy or sell something is right outside VPD headquarters.

“We have a safe-exchange location that is well lit and monitored by security cameras,” Addison said.

“This is a safer place to meet if you’re planning on buying or selling something online, and we encourage everyone to use it.”