2024 Year in Review: Growing concerns about public safety in B.C.
Posted December 30, 2024 7:43 am.
Crime and public safety was one of the hottest topics of the year and it played a pivotal role in swaying voters’ decisions ahead of the provincial election in October.
From random assaults to shocking murders, there were growing concerns about public safety in B.C.’s most populated region in 2024.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!In April, the tight-knit community of White Rock was stunned after a man was stabbed to death near the city’s pier and promenade. It was the second apparent stabbing in the area in 48 hours after an earlier victim survived.
In early June, the chef of a Vancouver restaurant was stabbed to death on his way home from work. The suspect arrested by police did not know the victim.
Just over a week later, Tori Dunn was killed at her Port Kells home, after her family said someone broke in. A man was arrested soon after police arrived. It was later revealed the suspect had a criminal history that dated back decades.
Then in September in Vancouver, a 70-year-old man was killed, while another had his hand cut off after a pair of stranger attacks just minutes apart.
The Vancouver Police Department arrested a man who had 60 previous “interactions” with officers.
However, a new report released on Dec. 23 by the VPD shows that crime continues to decline in the city.
The VPD published its Public Safety Indicators report to the police board for the third quarter of the year.
As of early November, police say violent offences are down 6.6 per cent from the previous year; property crimes are down 10.7 per cent; and calls for service are down 0.4 per cent.
