2022 saw a 12 per cent increase in violent crime in Vancouver compared to pre-pandemic levels: report

The Vancouver police board received a report on Thursday detailing the department’s public safety indicators for 2022 in a year-end summary, with striking increases compared to pre-pandemic figures. 

Violent crime increased 4.1 per cent year-over-year, but jumped 12 per cent compared to the 2017-2019 average, with the report noting it was “trending up” in every part of the city. Data from 2020 is not factored in to the comparison.

Serious and aggravated assaults are up 30 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic average.

Other crimes were also up last year, with a 500 per cent surge in “anti-Asian incidents,” 114 per cent increase in graffiti mischief, and 75 per cent rise in reported cybercrime incidents compared to the 2017-2019 average. The cybercrimes stats include threats to personal safety and financial security, as well as child sexual abuse material.

Sexual assault reports were a more complex statistic to report as the report author, Simon Demers, noted that “these incidents are often reported to the VPD long after they have occurred, sometimes after many years.” Last year, for example, nearly 20 per cent of reported sexual offences had occurred in previous years.

CHIEF ADDRESSES NEW CRIME STATS

Property crime increased 7.6 per cent year over year, which the VPD expected given the removal of pandemic public health orders. And while the reported incidents plunged 26.8 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic average, the author noted “under-reporting to police remains a serious concern.”

Vancouver police’s chief constable insisted that people should report property crime, even if it’s through their online form, because that’s the only way to know how big a problem is – and he already has a strategy for combatting the most serious issues with a requisition for increased funding for 100 more staff. 

“(About 60) uniformed officers out on patrol 24-7 out in the community and then (about 40) behind-the-scenes staff would include mental health officers working with our partners at Vancouver Coastal Health, domestic violence, child exploitation, missing persons unit, sex crimes, cyber crimes, things like that,” said Adam Palmer.

He said the increases were not a surprise given society’s emergence from the pandemic and the changes that’ve followed.

VANCOUVER TAXPAYERS ALREADY PAYING THE MOST

The Vancouver Police Department enjoys the most per-capita spending of any civic law enforcement agency in Canada, with $458 per capita going to the force, compared to $441 per person for policing in Edmonton according to a recent report commissioned by the VPD.

The recently-elected ABC Party had promised beefed up policing as part of its election platform, so opposition councillors expect the force will get the millions they’re seeking, but they’re urging oversight and long-term considerations before green-lighting a considerable property tax hike. 

“We can expect a lot more,” said Green Party Coun., Pete Fry. “It's not a sustainable growth pattern so we need to see where else we can find those intervention to address the roots of violent crime and the like.” 

CTV News asked Palmer why the VPD should get more money when they’re already getting so much from the population base, and he pointed out that unlike virtually every other major Canadian city, Vancouver police don’t serve a metro area and a direct comparison is problematic.

“We're the hub for the entire province so the crime in the city is always going to be higher,” he pointed out. “You've got a functional population that's always going to be much higher than the residential population.”