Vancouver police: crime down from last year

A new report by Vancouver police shows that crime continues to decline in the city.

The Vancouver Police Department 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.

Police say there were 12 “culpable” homicides in Vancouver in 2023; in 2024, there were only nine. 

Sexual offences also declined 8.3 per cent, though the department explains that the date is often “immaterial” in those cases. 

“For example, 21.4 per cent of the 518 sexual offences reported to the VPD YTD 2024 were historical (111) as these occurred in previous years. By comparison, 97.9 per cent of all property crimes, 99 per cent of assaults and 99.4 per cent of all robberies reported YTD 2024, also occured in 2024,” police said.

There were 33 more reported robberies and one more attempted murder this year. 

Police say cybercrime incidents decreased by 25.7 per cent, but victims reported a 146 per cent increase in losses compared to last year. Vancouver victims reported losses totalling $128.31 million in 2024.

“Unfortunately, there is often a delay in reporting, as many frauds take place over the course of several months, and victims are sometimes hesitant to make a police report. Cybercrime figures are therefore subject to increase over time as more incidents are reported.”

Police response time in Vancouver has reportedly increased by 0.8 per cent — five seconds slower than the same period in 2023.