VPD warn of increase in prowlers, public masturbators

An increase in calls about prowlers and men exposing themselves or masturbating in public has led the Vancouver police to issue a public plea for residents to call 911 if they notice anything suspicious.

The VPD said officers have responded to multiple calls from across the city about sexually motivated offenses, usually between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Residents are asking people not to confront any suspects, but instead pick up the phone and dial 911 immediately.

Const. Brian Montague said some homeowners have been sitting inside when they hear someone tapping at their window. In some cases, residents have had brief conversations with the prowler outside their home.

“These are concerning to us. We want to identify who these individuals are. We want people to call 911 so we have the edge on them. We can have the ability to catch them sooner than later,” he told reporters at a press conference Friday morning.

Montague said it’s unclear how many incidents there have been because the cases are classified under many different categories, including suspicious individual reports and public exposure. Each incident is being reviewed by the Sex Crimes Unit and patrols have been stepped up in areas where incidents are reported.

The department receives about 500 reports of sexual offenses in Vancouver each year. Police believe that some of the recent cases are linked, but not all.

“It would be naïve to think that these are being committed by one person but I think it’s fair to say that some of them are being committed by the same person,” Montague said.

The force is asking that homeowners and apartment managers consider installing motion sensors in and around their properties, and keep window coverings shut at night.

Montague says people shouldn’t ignore suspicious behavior or individuals, even if they don’t think the matter is serious.

“Whether you’re someone sitting in your home and notice a tapping at the window [don’t] ignore that but call police. If you’re walking your dog at night and you see someone suspicious in the neighbouhood don’t brush it off, don’t tell your neighbor the next day, pick up the phone and call 911,” he said.