Both violent and property crime decreased over the first nine months of this year when compared to the same period in 2023, according to new data released by the Vancouver Police Department.
Violent offences decreased by 6.6 per cent from 4,797 to 4,480 incidents while property crimes that include break-ins to vehicles dropped 10.7 per cent, from 25,912 to 23,132. All four patrol districts across Vancouver saw decreases.
“Total crime is down 7.9 per cent across the board in all crime categories,” Police Chief Adam Palmer told the Vancouver Police Board Thursday. “The major buckets of violent property and total crime are down, and in some cases, in double digits. So we're doing very well there.”
Robberies, however, are the outlier in the downward crime trend, with 33 more recorded this year over the same period in 2023. The total number of robberies from January to September was 479.
The statistics represent a continuing trend that Palmer mentioned in June when he updated the police board of crime trends in the first three months of 2024.
At the time, he credited good police work and the addition of new officers and mental health workers for the downward trend. At Thursday’s meeting, he emphasized the positive effect of the ABC Vancouver-led council’s commitment to fund 100 new officers.
“Investments that we have made — that the board has approved, the city has approved — is paying off because those investments in public safety are providing better outcomes for [the] community,” Palmer said.
Reported crimes decrease
The overall downward trend in crime is not new to Vancouver.
Statistics dating back to 2019 show the total number of crimes reported to police decreased from 56,807 in 2019 to 46,259 in 2023.
That’s a decrease of 10,548 in a five-year span.
Palmer said the number of abandoned calls to the VPD’s non-emergency line has to be factored into the analysis conducted by Glacier Media.
For example, the total number of calls residents abandoned in 2022 after calling the VPD’s non-emergency line reached 91,193, which was a 10-year high for the department.
In a previous presentation to the police board, Simon Demers, the VPD’s director of planning, research and audit section, said an analysis of 88,000 abandoned calls in 2021 suggested there would have been an additional 1,700 reports of break-ins to homes and businesses.
Added to those crime reports would have been 1,000 thefts, 600 assaults, 500 calls related to mischief and 200 for fraud, Demers said at the time.
'Negative experiences'
The number of abandoned calls has dropped significantly since then, with 18,305 recorded this year compared to 40,485 in 2023. E-Comm manages the line and continues to use new technology to improve the service.
“However, previous negative experiences by members of the public may dissuade them from calling again even if caller wait times improve,” said the data report that went before the police board Thursday.
The continuing downward crime trend comes as the VPD is seeking a $22.8-million increase to its operating budget for 2025. The chief defended the request — which still has to be approved by city council — and said the $434 million is needed to properly fund the department.
“It's a really good investment, and I think it's money well spent,” he told Glacier Media after the police board meeting.
“That's the right amount of money to police Vancouver. If you went to Toronto, they would have a budget over a billion dollars. I'm not saying it costs that much to police Vancouver. It's all proportional to what you need to do in your city. And that's the right amount of money to keep our city safe.”
