Vancouver police say public safety cameras have been installed in the Downtown Eastside to cut down on “violent incidents targeting the community and police.”
Eight elevated safety cameras have been installed in the Downtown Eastside – four at Main and Hastings, and four at Carrall and Hastings, police said.
They will replace two existing public safety trailers that were deployed in April after a Vancouver Police Department officer was attacked with a knife, two others had their uniforms set on fire and a 92-year-old man was assaulted and died in a lane behind the Carnegie Centre.
“We continue to drive down crime and drive out predators through proactive, assertive, and targeted enforcement against violent criminals and prolific offenders who operate in the Downtown Eastside,” Deputy Chief Howard Chow, Operations Division, said in a statement.
“Despite significant progress, there’s still ongoing and imminent risk to residents and police officers. Now is not the time to let up.”
The Vancouver police say that despite representing three per cent of the city’s population and two per cent of its geographical area, the Downtown Eastside accounts for 30 per cent of violent crime in the city.
In February, Vancouver police announced Task Force Barrage, a $5-million initiative to flood the city’s troubled Downtown Eastside with patrol officers and crack down on gangs and organized retail theft.
However, police said the areas around Main and Hastings, and Carrall and Hastings, continue to have the highest crime rates in the city.
So far in 2025, there have been 225 violent crimes, including 14 robberies, 115 assaults and one homicide, within a one-block radius of where the cameras are deployed, according to police statistics.
“Residents, business owners, and community advocates tell us they’re still concerned about the level of violence in the Downtown Eastside, where gangs and violent criminals are endangering the community,” Chow added.
“We’ve spoken to more than a dozen organizations, residents and advocates about this initiative, and we’re confident it has widespread community support.”
Police said the cameras are intended to deter violence and capture video evidence.
They will not record audio or be used with facial recognition or artificial intelligence, or for traffic enforcement.
Only authorized VPD employees will have access to recordings, which will be overwritten after four days unless required for criminal investigations.