The Vancouver Police Department is recommending an end to large public events that attract the "hooligan demographic" in the wake of the Stanley Cup riot.
The department released its internal review into the events of June 15 on Tuesday, and called for an end to large-scale public events that concentrate young people, "who have the propensity for public drinking in a small area."
The review also suggests that issuing tickets for large public events could help to control crowds, and that future hockey-viewing celebrations could be held in closed venues like BC Place.
Chief Jim Chu presented the report at a press conference and insisted once again that police had no way of predicting that a riot was in the works, even after the department's experience in another Stanley Cup riot 17 years ago.
"At the VPD, we all strongly believed that the city had changed and matured since 1994 and that we had shown over and over again that we could celebrate large and celebrate safely," Chu said.
The report says that police received no information suggesting that a riot was imminent. There were no calls from the public, nothing on social media, no reports from other jurisdictions and nothing from planners or school liaison officers.
The VPD review takes issue with the widespread perception that police weren't present in high enough numbers at the Georgia Street fan zone as the riot began.
"The sheer volume of people at the live site likely contributed to the misconception that there was a lack of police presence," the review says.
A total of 928 officers, including many from neighbouring jurisdictions, were eventually called into the downtown core to respond to the riot.
In an effort to prevent future riots, police are asking for TransLink to slow down train service into downtown when an event is at capacity, and for authorities to search passengers for alcohol before they get on public transit.
The department is also asking for more riot gear, and crowd-control training alongside other Metro Vancouver police forces and the local fire department.
Meanwhile, Chu says that the public will have to wait a little longer to see any charges connected to the riot -- charges won't be laid until after processing of video evidence is completed in the second week of October.
Officer recalls riot experience
Const. Laura Jacquet was on regular patrol duty on the night of the riot, but was redeployed to the intersection of Granville and Nelson streets as looting and arson broke out.
"It was just like a scene from Universal studios. There was a line of police dogs, there were cars upside down and people were just going crazy everywhere," she told reporters Tuesday.
"I've never felt like a more of a target. We're the police, we're always a bit of a target, but that night it was us against them."
She said that once the riot was under control, she had to return to regular duty, but discovered that her patrol car's windows had all been smashed.
