This just in 鈥� cops can be a secretive bunch.
So wouldn鈥檛 it be cool if you could find out more about what they鈥檙e up to when you see them in your neighbourhood, or in your travels around the city?
Well you actually can, sort of.
In fact, you could have been poking in to what they鈥檙e doing for years 鈥� maybe not the details of an arrest they鈥檙e making, but why they鈥檙e at St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital talking to doctors, or hanging out at luxury car dealerships.
The 麻豆传媒映画Police Department has released its 鈥渟trategic business plan鈥� for 2020. The plan, which is available on the VPD鈥檚 website, provides an indication of what police will be focused on this year.
It鈥檚 a spreadsheet of sorts, with the VPD section identified, activities underway, targeted measures and outcomes. It also tells you who is in charge of those measures and budget implications, if any.
So what are the cops doing at St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital?
Recent VPD statistics showed the number of apprehensions police have made of people under the Mental Health Act has increased over the last three years.
So the business plan calls for police to work with St. Paul鈥檚, 麻豆传媒映画General Hospital and community care services to reduce the number of apprehensions by way of better treatment for people living with a mental illness.
The plan also calls for the same group to work on reducing the time police have to wait with a person before they鈥檙e admitted to hospital.
Among the goals: 鈥淲ork with doctors to modernize the Mental Health Act to allow police to deliver patients to a designated facility rather than to a physician.鈥�
As for officers hanging out at luxury car dealerships, the plan calls for the VPD鈥檚 identity theft unit to work with dealerships and banks to reduce the number of fraudulent purchases of high-end vehicles with the use of stolen identities.
This is in line with a B.C. government-commissioned report released in May 2019 that revealed the luxury car sector is being used to launder the proceeds of crime.
The report, conducted by former RCMP officer Peter German, found car dealers in B.C. reporting that people were bringing bags of money or orchestrating multiple small international wire transfers to different accounts to buy cars.
While many of the goals in the plan are expected of a police force 鈥� reduce the number of break-ins to homes and businesses 鈥� others aren鈥檛 and apply to some of the city鈥檚 most pressing social issues, including drug addiction and homelessness.
This year, police plan to launch a study with health experts that involves tracking drug users鈥� recidivism rates after leaving jail and receiving treatment. There鈥檚 also a commitment to 鈥渆ducate VPD members on ways to assist those with substance use disorders.鈥�
The department is considering adding a second homeless liaison officer position and listed among its 鈥渢argeted measures鈥� to increase the number of homeless people 鈥渟upported into shelters and permanent housing.鈥�
Cybercrime is an area police will continue to spend more time on this year, with the Cybercrime Unit expected to conduct a 鈥減roactive dark web drug project鈥� in partnership with the department鈥檚 organized crime section.
The unit鈥檚 work will also focus on identifying 鈥渃ritical infrastructure in 麻豆传媒映画to protect against cyber threats, develop contingency plans and participate in tabletop exercises with representatives from both the private and public sector.鈥�
Some more of the VPD鈥檚 goals for 2020:听
- 听听听听听 Initiate combined forces projects targeting human trafficking and firearm traffickers.
- 听听听听听 Produce a monthly hate crimes report.
- 听听听听听 Assist 150 鈥渧ulnerable individuals鈥� obtain official provincial identification.
- 听听听听听 Distribute 40 cellphones equipped to call 911 to people without means to afford a phone and whose safety is paramount.
- 听听听听听 Conduct a minimum of 30 CounterAttack roadblocks.
- 听听 听听 Identify and recruit Indigenous youth to the Indigenous youth cadet program.
- 听听听听听 Engage up to 400 youth in 鈥渞espectful relationships鈥� workshops and sessions.
- 听听听听听 Continue to increase the number of corporate businesses as well as police agencies trained in the LGBTQ2S+ education program.
- 听听听听听 Ensure that one or more 鈥渟ignificant joint investigation/operations division violent crime projects鈥� are active each month.
- 听听 听听 Increase the reporting of domestic violence.
- 听听听听听 Reduce the number of offenders wanted on outstanding warrants.
- 听听听听听 Increase the number of social media posts that educate the public about cyber threat prevention.
- 听听听听听 Create a vending task force to reduce violence in the Downtown Eastside and decrease the number of complaints for unpermitted vending received by the City of Vancouver鈥檚 311 service centre.鈥�
- 听听听听听 Have a minimum of 175 officers certified in how to conduct a Standardized Field Sobriety Test and another 30 as Drug Recognition experts.
The plan also calls for all frontline officers to receive 鈥渞espectful workplace awareness training,鈥� which is interesting considering what I learned from a request last year under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
At least 51 officers and 18 civilian staff say they were the subject of workplace harassment at some point between 2017 and 2018. The harassment identified was primarily related to race, gender, ancestry and sexual harassment, according to results of a survey completed in 2018 by VPD officers and staff.
One other thing: If you drive a car, best to adhere to the rules of the road and don鈥檛 be a goof because the plan also calls for 鈥渋ncreases in ticket production within all traffic squads.鈥�
@Howellings
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