Community group starting volunteer patrol around Strathcona Park

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A community group on the Downtown Eastside is calling for volunteers to help patrol the area near Strathcona Park in an attempt to alleviate tensions surrounding a growing tent city.

The Aboriginal Front Door Society is leading the effort.

“We’ll have a group of guys come and walk around the streets and just talk to some of the people and let them know that we’re around in the neighbourhood, and also let the people from the neighbourhood know that we’re here to help,” explains spokesperson Robert Epp.

“We’re kind of like a mediator. Instead of the approach of trying to get into their face with police, we’re here to help them, and try to have a more constructive approach to trying to ease tensions.”

The initiative is inspired by the Bear Clan Patrol, which originated in Winnipeg and has spread to other cities.

“The concept behind the patrol, then, is community people working with the community to provide personal security in the inner city in a non-threatening, non-violent and supportive way,” says the Bear Clan Patrol website.  

Epp hopes someone from the Vancouver Police Department will attend the new volunteer group’s first meeting next week.

“We’re trying to work with them not against them, just trying to coordinate so we can ease the tensions down here,” Epp says.

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Meanwhile, the VPD announced Thursday that it will be increasing the number of officers patrolling Strathcona.

The five additional patrol personnel will be concentrated in the area immediately surrounding the park, and will work from Friday to Monday.

Police say while emergency calls from the neighbourhood are down significantly overall, calls to the park are up.

In July 2019, police received 2,345 calls from the neighbourhood. In 2020, there were 1,818.

In July 2019, police received 15 calls to Strathcona Park. In July 2020 there were 39.

“Emergency 911 calls to police and non-emergency calls to police have not increased significantly over the last month in the area. However, the VPD has received feedback from the community about the deteriorating levels of public safety,” writes Cst. Tania Visintin in a release.

“We suspect that suspicious activity or criminal activity in the area may be underreported at this time.”

With files from Monika Gul