A 30-year veteran VPD officer went undercover as a wheelchair-dependent resident of the Downtown Eastside to identify those who were victimizing the vulnerable.
Between January 2014 and June 2015, 28 incidents throughout the city were reported to police where a person in a wheelchair was violently attacked. These incidents included 21 assaults, six robberies, and one sexual assault. More than half of the crimes occurred in the Downtown Eastside.
A team of officers intent on ending the violence, devised an undercover operation to root out the offenders who were committing these appalling and disturbing acts.
The GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre graciously loaned the VPD a wheelchair and, for five days, police set out into the Downtown Eastside to help protect those who are more vulnerable.
Prepared to get robbed, beaten up and taken advantage of, the police officer in the wheelchair was met with nothing but generosity and care from the residents of this tight knit community.
“While the project didn’t result in the arrests that were expected, officers were reminded of the kindness in those who make the Downtown Eastside their home,” says VPD Staff Sergeant Mark Horsley.
