Almost three months after the Stanley Cup riot erupted downtown, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Police Department continues to defend itself amid allegations that police knew a riot was inevitable.
The department took the unusual step Sept. 22 to issue a statement after media reports suggested the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Board warned the VPD a riot was coming.
As difficult as it may be for some to hear, the VPD had no creditable information from anyone that a riot was about to occur, the statement said. If anyone in the media had information to that effect, we would welcome them to come forward and explain why they never shared it.
The VPDs statement came after documents released Sept. 21 revealed concerns from the liquor board about an escalation in drunken, rowdy crowds during the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks run to the Stanley Cup Final.
In a June 12 document drafted three days before the riot erupted, Karen Ayers of the liquor board indicated she was worried about possible pre-riotous behaviour for Game 6 between the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks and Boston Bruins.
The riot occurred after the Canucks lost to the Bruins in Game 7, which was played at Rogers Arena and watched by thousands of people on huge screens a few blocks from the rink.
It is being reported that the documents contained information from [the liquor board] warning the VPD that there was public drinking that could make crowd conditions unsafe, the statement continued. The information in those documents actually came from the VPD and other first responders.
Const. Lindsey Houghton, VPD media spokesperson, said the term pre-riotous behaviour was Ayers choice of words. Her description was based on a conference call with police and emergency officials.
The VPD said most of the reporting on the riot and aftermath has been accurate and insightful but some has been misleading and inflammatory.
We are concerned about stories created that choose to inflame the rhetoric based on wrong information, as we were originally concerned by stories and reporters who beat the drum most loudly inciting crowds to gather in the first place, said the statement, which didnt name reporters or media outlets.
The role liquor played in the riot was covered in riot reviews conducted by the VPD, the city and a B.C.-government review authored by Douglas Keefe and John Furlong.
Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Coastal Health, told city council earlier this month that alcohol consumption in B.C. was increasing faster than the rest of Canada.
Daly provided statistics that showed consumption increased from 475 drinks per year to 525 between 1998 and 2008. And 25 per cent of under-age youth reported binge drinking at least once a month.
In a 2005 study, males 20 to 34 years old were found to be the most at risk of binge drinking, with 45 per cent of this age group reporting monthly binge drinking. Alcohol is also more available in B.C. than previous years, stemming from the partial privatization of liquor stores in the province. The number of stores increased from 786 in 2002 to 1,294 in 2008. Daly successfully requested city council implement a municipal alcohol policy for special events that must include third party liability insurance, safe transportation of patrons, enforcement and security.
Daly also recommended considering airport-style screening at transit hubs during large events. The VPD made the same recommendation in its riot review.
Twitter: @Howellings
