The Vancouver Police Department announced Monday (April 17) they had deployed their "public safety trailer," a mobile surveillance tower, to Chinatown.
VPD says it uses the trailer "on rare occasions to deter crime and protect the public." The last time they announced it was in use was in January 2023, on a residential side street near Langara College and before that, it's been used around Oppenheimer Park, the Downtown core, areas where gang activity has occurred, and even previously in Chinatown.
The most recent deployment is due to a recent series of crimes targeting the Chinese Cultural Centre and surrounding neighbourhood according to police.
The trailer consists of a tall pole with four cameras pointing in all directions and is currently parked in front of the Cultural Centre. The cameras are not actively monitored but the footage is recorded and reviewed if a crime occurs and each time the trailer is in use, VPD is compelled to inform the public over social media.
"We are using our public safety trailer to help deter additional incidents and maintain public safety," says the VPD in a Tweet.
Not everyone is on board with the use of surveillance equipment in Vancouver. Local criminal lawyer, Kyla Lee referred to the machine as "a spy trailer" when it was posted in her neighbourhood in 2020.
Others have echoed Lee's sentiments, calling the trailer "creepy" and "big brothery."
"I don't want some just-in-case recording," said another Vancouverite on Twitter.
