The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says it wants to set the record straight on the crime narrative in the city.

“Over the past number of months, there’s been considerable conversation about crime, public safety and our data,” said Deputy Chief Cst. Howard Chow of the VPD. 

Just nine days before Vancouver votes in the municipal election, the VPD have released crime stats from a 23-year time frame, saying Vancouver is the safest it’s ever been.

“Violent crime, property crime, and overall crime rates declined from 2002 to 2025.”

A stark difference from four years ago, when the Vancouver Police Union endorsed a mayoral candidate for the first time in the city’s history, to ‘ensure that the police have the resources they need’.

“The focus was on stranger attacks happening all over the city as if we were living in some mad max scenario,” says Vibert Jack, litigation director for the BC Civil Liberties Association.

Jack says the timing of the announcement comes off as another political endorsement.

“It undermines public trust and faith in the police for the police department to be acting that way or at least perceived to be.”

Chow admits that crime so far this year has seen a jump over last year.  When asked about the timing of the release of these statistics, and if the VPD think they could be influencing voters in the upcoming election, Chow points to police crime stats that he claims have been misrepresented in the media.

“What I’m more worried about [is] people are acting and reacting and making decisions, and safety decisions on information that was not accurate,” said Chow.

Chow was pressed to specify what misinformation has been reported and by whom but he did not name any specific media outlet, politician or social media posts. 

And it’s also worth noting, Chow says this announcement isn’t politically motivated but points to recent investments from municipal governments like task force barrage for the decline in crime rate.