Vancouver police respond to allegations of ‘arrest quotas’

Performance measures – not arrest quotas – are what inform the daily work of VPD officers on Task Force Barrage, according to a new Vancouver Police Board report.

This follows a month-long investigation into a whistleblower complaint alleging officers were instructed to meet arrest quotas in the Downtown Eastside.

A key part of the complaint quoted an email from a staff sergeant saying, “Ideally we’d like 2-3 drug arrests and charges a day.”

The police’s explanation is that the staff sergeant was setting a “performance measure,” not a quota, with the purpose of “educating everyone as to what a reasonable outcome should be during a shift.”

At a Vancouver Police Board meeting Thursday, Assistant Supt. Matthew Harty described performance measures as being more like “aspirational goals.”

“VPD does set performance measures, and there’s a distinct difference between the two,” he said. “Quotas are rigid and have formal or informal employer rewards and punishments attached, potentially leading to significant ethical issues and possible police deviance.”

Task Force Barrage was started earlier this year to reduce crime in the Downtown Eastside. While it has been met with criticism and scrutiny, the VPD has maintained that officers are getting results.

“Just take a look at what we’re doing here,” said VPD Deputy Chief Const. Howard Chow.

“We’re disrupting the criminal activity and the violence in that neighbourhood that needs to be disrupted, but the measure is being able to sustain it.”

Former police chief and BC Solicitor General Kash Heed says there are bigger issues that need to be addressed by police.

“I think the most important part of this is going to be how many people they’re dealing with that are still dealing with mental health problems, the people that are overdosing on the illicit drug supply that’s down there, the people that are congregating in an area passed out in alcoves and laneways,” Heed said.

But the mayor of Vancouver says these are issues better left to senior levels of government, not the city or police.

“You’re making the neighbourhood safer for our most vulnerable population and the rest of the neighbourhood, and like I said, this is a no-brainer,” Ken Sim said.