Police investigating vandalism at Kits Beach Park playground and pool

Vancouver Park Board staff spent Monday morning repairing damaged swing sets at Kits Beach Park after an inexplicable act of vandalism over the weekend.

Someone cut down a number of swings with bolt cutters, and partially cut through the steel chains of the rest of the swingset, leaving sharp metal edges where children might normally place their hands.

The Vancouver Police Department said it first became aware of the vandalism through social media and has since opened an investigation.

According to the park board, staff has filed a police report about the vandalized swings. The board has also filed a police report about damaged flood mitigation infrastructure at Kits Pool.

A large orange Tiger Dam installed last month to protect the pool’s mechanical room from severe storms and king tides was found vandalized and had to be removed for repairs.

“The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is extremely disheartened by these senseless acts of vandalism and strongly condemns this behaviour,” a statement emailed to CTV News said.

Staff repaired most of the swings at the playground but some were so badly damaged they had to be removed.

The park board plans to replace them at a later date.

"It really saddens me to see that somebody took the time to vandalize our infrastructure and property that we hold so dearly,” said park board commissioner Angela Haer. “It cost a lot of money to repair and replace these items."

Anyone with information on the acts of vandalism is asked to contact Vancouver police.