British Columbia’s police watchdog says the Vancouver Police Board should look into an officer’s allegation that arrest quotas have been issued as a part of Mayor Ken Sim’s “Task Force Barrage” initiative within the Downtown Eastside.
An e mail from the nameless whistleblower is on the agenda for Thursday’s assembly of the board, together with a corresponding letter from the Workplace of the Police Complaints Commissioner asking the board to take motion.
The complaints commissioner says it acquired a grievance from the VPD member on March 8, calling Process Drive Barrage a “politically motivated crackdown” and saying these in cost have been “setting quotas.”
A lot of the e-mail from the whistleblower is redacted, however it says partly that they had been taught that officers had discretion to resolve whether or not to cost folks.
“But now it’s clear they don’t value their officers’ discretion and decision-making, and [they’re] setting quotas. I don’t think this is legal or right,” the e-mail says.
Vancouver’s mayor and police Chief Adam Palmer collectively introduced on Thursday a long-term operation to dismantle organized drug crime and goal predatory criminals in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. As CBC’s Chad Pawson experiences, it’s a part of Ken Sim’s imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the DTES.
The police watchdog says that legally, the board should now provoke an investigation or a examine, ask Chief Adam Palmer to launch an investigation, or dismiss the grievance with causes.
Sim launched Process Drive Barrage in February, promising a long-term operation “to dismantle organized crime networks and target predatory criminals in the Downtown Eastside and beyond.”
A press release from police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison doesn’t straight reply whether or not quotas are getting used, however says the police are “unapologetic” concerning the work they’re doing within the Downtown Eastside and the “results of Task Force Barrage speak for themselves.”
An replace final month mentioned weapons seizures elevated 258 per cent within the Downtown Eastside within the first 4 weeks of the duty power and that police seized 197 weapons and made 204 Legal Code arrests, a median of about seven per day.
Addison added that for the reason that begin of the duty power in February, police have made 314 warrant arrests as much as April 15, and violent crimes are down 17 per cent within the first three months of 2025, in contrast with the identical interval final yr.
“We understand these results, and the support we’re receiving throughout the Downtown Eastside may be upsetting to police critics, defunders and people who are ideologically opposed to the work we do,” he mentioned.
Addison mentioned police are “absolutely committed to staying the course.”
Political blowback
Vancouver Coun. Sean Orr, who gained a latest byelection, mentioned in a press release that Sim should present integrity and “keep police out of politics, and politics out of policing.”
“This officer showed integrity by reaching out to the OPCC with their concerns about the political misuse of Vancouver’s police department,” Orr mentioned.
“Police officers should not be pawns for political campaigns, and whistleblowers like this should be protected against retaliation by their bosses.”
A spokesperson for ABC Vancouver, Sim’s get together, declined remark when reached by CBC Information, and redirected inquiries to the VPD.
