Vancouver crime down: VPD chief

Editor’s note: a previous version of this story had erroneously quoted VPD Chief Adam Palmer as saying that overall crime in Vancouver had declined by half. In fact, Palmer was referring specifically to the number of stranger attacks that had declined by half and was not commenting on overall crime. A clarification has been made in the story. We apologize for any confusion.

Following a string of violent incidents in Downtown Vancouver this week, the city’s police chief explained he sympathizes with people’s concerns when they hear about multiple random attacks in the city.

Vancouver Police Department Chief Const. Adam Palmer said he understands if people are nervous about their safety in the city.

“People let us know how they feel when they walk down the street or when they hear [of] a major incident happening in their community,” Palmer said Thursday. “I understand that it’s concerning and these incidents are concerning for us.”

The chief’s comments come after a woman was sexually assaulted by a stranger in Stanley Park on Monday. On Wednesday, a suspect was arrested after being accused of multiple violent attacks, including a random stabbing at Smithe and Beatty streets.

But Palmer explained that despite all those headline-making incidents — the number of stranger assaults has declined.

“We still have around two a day, so, it’s a lot. It’s not what we want to have, but we have reduced it significantly — we’ve cut it by more than half,” he explained.

Palmer said he understands the average person, however, is not thinking about crime rates and statistics.

There are multiple factors that go into keeping chronic offenders in custody, including the mental health and corrections systems, the police chief said.

“This fellow that we just arrested, … we have made a strong case for him to [stay] in custody, and we expect that he will be, but ultimately that decision is not the decision of the police,” Palmer noted.

Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim echoed Palmer’s assertion that violent crime has decreased in the city.

Despite major concerns from the public, Sim insisted Thursday that Vancouver is a safe city.

“All I got to say is look, we’re a big city, there will be challenges, but when you look at the macro data, there are a lot of cases, it is becoming a safety city,” the mayor said.

Sim committed to fully funding the VPD, while asking the federal government for more support.

“Vancouver continues to grapple with a mental health crisis that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, including the federal government. Because this isn’t simply something we can arrest our way out of,” he said.