Drugs, gang violence, assaults top crime issues for Vancouverites: poll

A recent poll suggests that Vancouver residents feel drugs, gang violence, assaults, and homicide are the top crime issues in the city.

An exclusive poll commissioned by CityNews and done by Maru Public Opinion surveyed 500 people in Metro Vancouver about issues ranging from affordability, and healthcare to crime.

The poll found that for Vancouver residents, crime and policing is an issue they feel is most important in their community.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

Residents were asked to rank the top three crime issues on which they believe their local police should be spending the most time and resources.

The results showed that 52 per cent of Vancouver residents feel drugs are the biggest issue, followed by gang violence at 49 per cent, assaults at 32 per cent, and homicide at 25 per cent.

Former B.C. solicitor general and West Vancouver police chief Kash Heed says all of those issues are important, however, he thinks violent crime is the most significant issue that police need to deal with immediately.

According to Heed, other issues could be the outcome of what he calls the “drug addiction” problem in the Lower Mainland.

“Yes, you can put gang behaviour in that specific category of violent crime because that’s what we see the gunplay that’s at play on our streets. And that requires an immediate response. Yes they have a right to be concerned, but we always put violent crime above some of the drug issues and property crime,” he said.

Results of the poll also showed that 73 per cent of people think that their local police response time would be too slow if they personally called for help.

Heed says it’s important to note that there is a priority list in response times.

“For example, if there’s a crisis that’s happening here and now, for example, a violent offered that’s acting out in the streets the police immediately respond to it, they come out of the woodwork to respond to it so we have to be cognizant of that,” Heed said.

“Some of the frustration is simply because if someone is the victim of a property crime they may be on hold for a prior of time before they are able to report the incident.”

Heed says response times throughout North America are pretty similar and adds that if communities want police to come running every time they call, they’d have to double the authorized strength of a police agency. He says that would double the budget, and increase taxes.

“It depends where you are in the City of Vancouver — yes there are certain neighbourhoods you feel safer than others and there are certain transit routes you feel safer on than others and those are generally areas where there are a lot of people out and about at the time you’re out utilizing that public space or riding the transit,” the former police chief said.

While Heed agrees that there have been incidents on public transit across the country, he says those cases of violent crime seem to have been marked more publicly and therefore are at the forefront of people’s minds.

Heed believes it’s important for transit police and security to have a visible presence.

The poll also found 87 per cent of Vancouverites say there are “too many repeating violent offenders offered bail.”

Heed explains federal legislation controls the release of repeat offenders, and the courts are under provincial jurisdiction.

“Some of the numbers are correct. There are a significant amount of them that do get released repeatedly based on their behaviour but I have to understand the frustration of some of the judges here, because they have nowhere to put these people,” he explained.

“We have nowhere to put these people that have an acute drug addiction and nowhere to put these people that have significant mental health crisis that they’re trying to deal with. So, the judges are frustrated and as a result, the community is frustrated and absolutely at their wits end on what we should be done.”