Vancouver police report fewer unprovoked stranger attacks

Unprovoked assaults by strangers in Vancouver have declined nearly 80 per cent this year compared to a peak in 2021 when there was more than four per day on average, according to new police data.

On Thursday, the update about the unsettling public safety issue was shared through a report to the city's police board, which said there has been a "steady decline" in unprovoked attacks where there was little to no connection between the victim and assailant. 

"This is good news. We are moving in the right direction thanks to a collaborative effort," said Sgt. Steve Addison, a spokesperson with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).

Police define unprovoked assaults as interactions between a suspect and a victim that last fewer than 20 seconds prior to the attack.

They do not include intimate partner violence, thefts, robberies, violent shoplifting, fights at bars, road rage or assaults on police.

The violence had increased in prominence in Vancouver, with more than 1,700 such incidents between September 2020 and August 2021, according to police.

"The majority of victims were simply going about their day: running errands, walking, or visiting our city," said a series of tweets from VPD from October 2021.

The startling number of attacks prompted public safety meetings in communities and discussions over how unmet mental health needs, housing and poverty were factoring into the problem.

Now VPD say the number of attacks, which averaged 4.5 per day in the first half of 2021, have dropped to around one per day in the first half of this year.

Police said their data is based on a random sample of assault case files from the first quarter of each year, which were then manually reviewed to determine if they met the definition of an unprovoked assault.

Pandemic problems

Addison said the force concluded that several factors combined to reduce the amount of violence.

He said during the pandemic there were fewer people being held in custody while awaiting trial. 

"This created an opportunity for some violent and repeat offenders to commit multiple crimes at that time," he wrote in an email.

In addition, empty streets during the pandemic meant there were fewer bystanders around to intervene or witness the attacks, whereas now public spaces are busier, meaning they're safer, according to VPD.

The force also said access to regular mental health supports is better now than in 2021.

Other factors associated with an improvement were increased public awareness over the issue, and ensuing investigations into high-profile cases by task forces specifically struck to look at stranger assaults and links between cases.

VPD is also commending the push by the province for bail reform in the criminal justice system and its Safer Communities Action Plan, which was launched a year ago.

Premier David Eby said the program was meant to ensure people who commit violent acts face consequences, but also address mental-health and addiction issues, "to break the cycle of a life in and out of jail."

Shoplifting, property crime concerns remain

Jane Talbot, president and CEO of Downtown Van, formerly known as the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, said the reported ebbing of stranger assaults in the city was positive news.

The organization represents around 8,000 business and property owners in the 90-block area of Vancouver's downtown core.

Talbot said the benefits of hiring additional VPD officers, a promise made by Mayor Ken Sim when he was elected in October 2022, are being seen by her members.

But too many businesses are still facing troubling rates of shoplifting, property crime and trespassing, she added.

"The day-to-day reality is that the issues affecting our businesses in the downtown core remain pervasive," Talbot said.

In late October a group of more than 30 B.C. retailers, trade associations and other groups called for government action on theft, vandalism and violent crime, which they say have reached "epidemic proportions" across the province.

"Until we see a change with prolific offenders, safety ... will remain a top concern for our membership," said Talbot.