Vancouver police said that violence and street crime have dropped in downtown Eastside since the launch of a working group dedicated to the police.
The working group dam was launched three months ago to target criminals and criminal activities in the city center of Eastside.
“Although we made life more difficult for violent offenders and organized criminals, we also work with the community to improve security and establish relationships,” Insp. Gary Hiar, commander of Labor force damsaid in a press release.
“This work will require a sustained effort and there is still a long road to come.”
According to Vancouver police, since the launch of the working group, the police have seized 745 weapons including 79 guns (14 Real / 65 aftershocks); carried out 414 arrests of justification (five per day) and made 258 reports to the Crown Counsel for the accusations.
Teams were deployed in Gastown, Chinatown and Hastings Street, police said, and police also conducted coordinated investigations to target violent and organized criminals, working with the staff of housing providers and helping the city of Vancouver to street disorders and sanitation problems.

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“We do not want this working group to end after six months and that we have made all the earnings we have made, all the progress we have made, do not go,” said the SGT. Steve Addison, said the Vancouver police department.
“There will be discussions, broader discussions, on how we support this, not only of the VPD, but of the community as a whole, the collective.”
Vancouver police have provided data on each district, saying that the figures show violence and that most of the property crimes are lower in four districts compared to 2024.
Violent crime
- Downtown Eastside: down 13%
- Gastown: down 13%
- Chinatown: down 26%
- Strathcona: down 14%
Serious attacks
- Downtown Eastside: down 13%
- Gastown: down 17%
- Chinatown: down 17%
- Strathcona: down 20%
Flights
- Downtown Eastside: down 35%
- Gastown: no change
- Chinatown: down 57%
- Strathcona: down nine percent
Commercial break and between
- Downtown Eastside: down 42%
- Gastown: down 47%
- Chinatown: down 86%
- Strathcona: down 67%
Residential break and between
- Downtown Eastside: down 38%
- Gastown: no change
- Chinatown: down 25%
- Strathcona: up 43% (increase from seven to 10)
The Vancouver police department defines Strathcona as Waterfront Road (North) to the previous street (south) and rue Main (West) in Jackson Avenue (East).
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