Our Information and Privacy Unit ensures the VPD is in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other statutes.

The Act provides two basic rights for members of the public:

  • the right to access information in government records
  • the right to have personal information protected from unauthorized collection, use and disclosure

It is intended to be used as a last resort, when the information is not available through normal access procedures.

Submitting a Request

A request to access records under the Act must be made in writing, and the Vancouver Police Department has a form for making such requests.

You can forward your form one of three ways:

Mail

ATTENTION: Information and Privacy Coordinator
Vancouver Police Department
3585 Graveley Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V5K 5J5

Fax (604) 606-2622

Email foi@vpd.ca

Please make your request as specific as possible. Provide case numbers, exact dates and addresses, and names and numbers of officers involved (if you have this information), so we can do a more accurate search for the information requested.

Identity verification

If you are requesting personal records about yourself, we need to verify your identity to make sure we are giving access to the right person. You will be asked to produce government-issue photo identification, such as a driver’s licence or passport. This can be done either when you submit your request or when picking up our response. You may also send a photocopy of your picture identification with your request.

Information that will not be provided

If the record you request contains personal information about someone else, and it would be an unreasonable invasion of their privacy to provide that information, we must delete that information from the record.

If you are requesting sensitive law enforcement information that could be harmful to a law enforcement matter if released, we do not have to provide that part of the requested record.

The Act contains other exemptions that may have to be considered depending on the nature of the request.