Proudly Serving Our City
A Collaborative Approach to Increasing Safety
The VPD believes in a collaborative approach to enhancing safety in Vancouver through active outreach across our diverse communities. Our community engagement efforts foster cultural understanding, promote public safety, and build trust in policing, all of which are essential to reducing crime and strengthening community well-being.
Learn more in our Community Matters report.
Community Policing Centres: Partners in Your Neighbourhood
Vancouver’s 13 community policing centres reflect a strong partnership between residents and the police. The centres are operated, staffed, and governed by community members themselves, helping to ensure local priorities and perspectives guide their work.
Block Watch: Neighbours Helping Neighbours
For over 30 years, the Block Watch program has brought together residents to help increase safety in Vancouver neighbourhoods. With over 400 Block Watch groups, that’s 8,000 extra pairs of trained eyes and ears across the city – all looking out for each other and their property.
Youth Outreach
VPD officers take part in a wide range of youth-focused initiatives, offering mentorship, education, awareness, and opportunities to build life skills. Through programs such as the Indigenous Cadet Program, soccer camps, and VPD Cadets, officers are making a difference in the lives of young people.
VPD Lion Dance Team
The VPD Lion Dance Team brings together police officers, civilian staff, and volunteers from the Chinese Community Policing Centre. Proud of their heritage, the team celebrates VPD’s cultural diversity, honours the Chinese community’s contributions to Vancouver, and strengthens relationships across the city.
Employee Diversity
Our recruiting efforts focus on ensuring the VPD reflects the diversity of the community we serve. In addition to attending schools and career fairs, recruiters work closely with our Diversity, Community, and Indigenous Relations Section to engage with groups including 2SLGBTQ+ communities and Indigenous Peoples.
Mental Health Initiatives
The VPD uses an innovative, collaborative approach to supporting people living with mental illness, including our 40-year partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, with the shared goal of improving outcomes and quality of life for individuals experiencing mental health challenges, substance use, and addiction.
Diversity
Our community engagement efforts promote cultural awareness, enhance public safety, and help build trust between police and the communities we serve. These relationships are essential to understanding local needs, strengthening cooperation, and addressing the root causes of crime, all of which contribute to safer communities.
