Vancouver police task force shows signs of reduced crime in DTES, but some call for long-term fix

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 23, 2025 6:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

For the past year, Linda Ly has operated her nail salon, Onyx Aesthetics Studio, 4 floors supra thoroughfare level successful Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). 

She utilized to tally her concern retired of a ground-floor workplace connected Abbott Street, but says she relocated after enduring repeated vandalism and harassment.

"We got breached into 4 times, and wrong a six-month span, we astir apt called the constabulary implicit 100 times," she told CBC News. 

"We are present upstairs ... [our clients] person to beryllium buzzed in," she said of her caller determination connected Carrall Street. The determination has provided reprieve from vandalism, but Ly says she inactive witnesses the ongoing struggles successful the neighbourhood.

Recently though, the concern owner has noticed a alteration successful the area.

"[It] utilized to beryllium precise chaotic, but successful the past fewer weeks, I've noticed it's been beauteous clean," she said, gazing down astatine the thoroughfare from her studio's caller vantage point.

Ly's observations align with the Vancouver Police Department's reports on the aboriginal occurrence of its caller Task Force Barrage. Police accidental the initiative, which began past month, aims to reconstruct information and code issues related to cause trafficking and organized transgression successful the Downtown Eastside — a neighbourhood that has agelong struggled with poverty, cause usage and homelessness. 

Positive results from accrued constabulary presence

Since the motorboat of the task unit connected Feb. 13, VPD has deployed further front-line officers to the area, connected apical of the mean contingent of 60 officers already moving successful the neighbourhood.

According to the department's update this week, the caller resources person contributed to a diminution successful street-level assaults and different convulsive crimes successful the area.

"The fig of assaults has decreased from 4 per time to three, and assaults with weapons person dropped by 30 per cent compared to the erstwhile month," said Insp. Gary Hiar, the commanding serviceman overseeing policing successful the DTES. 

In the 5 weeks since the programme was launched, constabulary accidental the task unit responded to a full of 4,760 calls for work successful the DTES, an mean of 170 calls a day.

"That's a 28 per cent summation from the erstwhile 4 weeks anterior to launching Project Barrage," Hiar said. 

The task unit has besides seized 197 weapons, including guns, Tasers and knives, which marks a 258 per cent summation successful limb seizures compared to the erstwhile month.

In addition, 153 apprehension warrants were executed, starring to 204 transgression codification arrests, averaging 7 per day. 

"Just past week erstwhile we ran our numbers, determination were really nary robberies successful the Downtown Eastside, truthful decidedly immoderate compelling numbers there," added Hiar.  

Some pass of 'whack-a-mole' approach

The beingness of much constabulary officers patrolling the country has besides been noticeable to different section concern owners.

"There are a batch less cause dealers and little radical buying stolen goods now. It's decidedly quieter," said Greg Uyeda, co-owner of Aiyaohno Cafe connected Carrall Street.

Yet, Uyeda fears the task unit is simply offering a impermanent fix, describing the effort arsenic "security theatre."

"It's not a solution," helium said. "It's conscionable a spot of a Band-Aid."

That sentiment is echoed by Landon Hoyt, enforcement manager of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association (BIA).

While Hoyt acknowledges the contiguous effects of the task force, helium believes the basal causes of transgression — specified arsenic the deficiency of intelligence wellness enactment and supportive lodging — indispensable beryllium addressed for the effort to beryllium genuinely effectual successful the agelong run.

"I would similar to spot further resources enactment towards intelligence wellness and outreach workers to assistance enactment immoderate of these radical that truly request it," Hoyt said.

Hoyt besides expressed interest that the task force's enactment coincides with a city-wide frost connected caller supportive lodging projects successful Vancouver, which helium feels undermines the wide effectiveness of the initiative.

WATCH | Vancouver's caller program for patrolling the Downtown Eastside: 

"We're doing 1 happening that is large … but besides we're benignant of shooting ourselves successful the different foot," helium said.

Hoyt also noted that portion the task unit has contributed to a diminution successful transgression successful the DTES, the BIA has been receiving expanding reports of assaults successful the country of West Hastings Street, suggesting that the contented whitethorn beryllium shifting alternatively than being solved. 

"We're conscionable simply benignant of moving radical around, and it's a spot of a whack-a-mole benignant of game," helium said.

Hiar acknowledged that portion VPD's task unit has made notable progress, determination is inactive much enactment to beryllium done. 

"We've been precise vocal astir it, we can't bash this connected our ain and, and we request assemblage engagement," helium said. 

The constabulary inspector said the task unit volition proceed to enactment with concern advocates, residents, societal lodging providers and different front-line workers for a much coordinated attack to code problems successful the area.

According to Hiar, the task unit is acceptable to stay successful the DTES for astatine slightest six months, aft which it volition beryllium reevaluated.

"We volition see how we advancement further and we'll marque those determinations again successful the coming weeks and months," he said.