Violent crime declining in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite a busy week for Vancouver Police in the Downtown Eastside, the data shows violent crime is actually down across the city.

Between Jan. 1 and Mar. 11, VPD statistics show reported sex assaults dropped 28 per cent while robberies dipped 17 per cent compared to the same period last year. General assaults were up one per cent.

“The trend city-wide we’re seeing a trend down with violent crime for all of the violent crime offences,” Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham says.

Murders are up for the same period, however Fincham warns because murders happen much less frequently than other violent crimes, any additional cases can significantly impact percentage increases. So far this year Vancouver has seen seven homicides. There were 12 murders in all of 2016, which is down from 15 the year before.

“We’re are seeing a trend down, but certainly in the last couple days in the Downtown Eastside, with a couple of very significant events, we’re very concerned about what’s happening down there to see if there’s any particular reason why these are happening,” Fincham says. “A couple of them we’re looking at the possibility they could be related.”

In the span of a couple days a man was fatally stabbed on East Hastings between Main and Columbia, while another man was seriously hurt later that day when he was shot at the Regent across the street.

Meanwhile we had two targeted but unrelated shootings in Surrey and North Vancouver on Monday. And last night a man jacked a cab from a driver and tried to steal a second car.

Across the Lower Mainland Abbotsford and Delta experienced 11 and eight per cent drops in violent crime respectively. West Vancouver had an average of 21 violence crime reports in 2016, down 15 per cent from 2015.

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