Chief Constable Jim Chu
Remarks
I would like to welcome our partners with the Transit Police, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, the RCMP and the B.C. Ambulance Service for joining me this morning to talk about our plans to help make the 2014 Honda Celebration of Light a safe and fun family event.
Although we are not expecting any major public disruptions, I can assure you that along with our partners, we have extensive plans in place to get you and your family to and from the event safely.
This year’s event runs for three nights — July 26th, July 30th and August 2nd — and will attract several hundred thousand people to the beaches around English Bay.
To ensure that those coming to the event are able to enjoy themselves, hundreds of police officers and community police volunteers will have a visible presence throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Officers on foot, horseback, bicycle, in police boats, and from the air, will monitor the crowds and boats in and around English Bay.
Police and transit personnel will be at SkyTrain stations and key transportation routes throughout the night. The visible police presence is intended to deter alcohol-fuelled fights and disturbances. The large police presence is also intended to recognize, respond to and deal with incidents quickly.
We want to encourage people to report anything that appear suspicious so officers can respond and assess public safety concerns immediately.
The Celebration of Light is primarily a family-oriented event, however, we know from past experience that the event attracts many intoxicated persons. It is illegal to drink liquor in public, which includes on public transportation, in parks, on beaches, and on streets. Police will actively enforce liquor laws on public transit routes in and out of Vancouver. This includes drinking in public and under-age consumption and possession of liquor. A violation ticket for consuming liquor in public has a $230 fine.
Police officers are able to enforce park and city bylaws in relation to smoking. A bylaw ticket for smoking in a park or on the seawall carries a $250 fine.
During large-crowd events such as the Celebration of Light, the VPD will use social media to convey safety messages, traffic closures, and transit information and to re-tweet information from other agencies.
You will be able to obtain accurate and timely information and instructions directly from the VPD on Twitter @VancouverPD.
