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Survey says crime affects one in 10 Vancouver residents

Property crime up, violent crime down according to VPD stats
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Violent crime was down in Vancouver last year. photo Dan Toulgoet

How safe is Vancouver?

According to an annual survey conducted on behalf of the Vancouver Police Department, one in 10 respondents said they were victims of a crime in the 12 months preceding the survey.

“Of those who were victimized, nearly all experienced a property crime (less than one per cent experienced a violent crime),” said the survey from NRG Research Group.

But of those crime victims, only 53 per cent of people reported the incidents to police, which was a decrease of nine per cent in 2013.

The reasons for not reporting the crime were because the victims thought it was too insignificant (77 per cent) while others (15 per cent) believed the police couldn’t do anything about it.

The survey’s results will go before the Vancouver Police Board Thursday where members will also review the department’s year-end business plan for 2013.

The VPD’s business plan showed a 1.5 per cent increase in property crime in 2013 over 2012. But the plan said the increase is in line with the city’s population growth and that residential burglaries dropped by 10 per cent and business break-ins by six per cent.

The VPD’s goal is to reduce property crime by five per cent every year for a total reduction of 25 per cent over the next five years.

What could hamper that goal is the sudden rise in “minor thefts,” with 4.6 per cent in 2013 over 2012 and 12.2 per cent over 2011. The plan doesn’t provide a definition of a minor theft.

“Further detailed analysis is underway to examine these minor thefts as they can negatively influence the overall property crime rate and have a negative impact on our quality of life,” the VPD plan said. “Different strategies will be explored to more closely address these crimes of opportunity in 2014.”

Violent crime, meanwhile, dropped by 4.1 per cent in 2013 over the previous year. The business plan pointed to the work of several of its specialized units in targeting chronic and high risk offenders.

In 2013, for example, the high risk offender unit monitored approximately 150 offenders and recommended 66 charges to Crown counsel.

The VPD also renewed its focus in the Downtown Eastside, with more interaction via its SisterWatch program that brings police and community members together to improve safety for vulnerable women.

Information on suspects and potential crimes continues to be disseminated from a tip line that generated 194 calls in 2013.

“A baseline for tracking violence against women in the DTES has not been established,” said the VPD plan. “The VPD is currently working with an external consultant to determine the overall effectiveness of the SisterWatch program.”

Added the plan: “The VPD is committed to continue building strong working relationships with the DTES community. The ongoing improvement in this relationship has allowed the VPD to address myths and inaccurate rumours concerning its officers. These untruths have caused long standing fear of the VPD among DTES community members in the past.”

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