Latest news with #CommunityPolicing
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
New community policing centre opens in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A new Vancouver community policing centre is opening in Gastown and Hastings Crossing in partnership with the city and the police department. The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre (GHX CPC) will offer various crime prevention and outreach programs, including safety education, crime reporting, and initiatives such as community clean-ups, graffiti paint-overs, and neighbourhood safety walks. "Community policing centres aren't traditional police stations," Mayor Ken Sim said at a news conference on Wednesday. "They're not just about enforcement, they're about people. They're about building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating safer communities from the ground up." Sim said the opening of the new community policing centre at 109 West Hastings St. is a direct response to businesses wanting to feel safer in their community. He said the centre will be a community safety hub where people can ask questions, report concerns and learn about resources. The centre will host front-line police officers for engagement but will be primarily staffed by trained volunteers and civilian staff, according to its website. Vancouver Police Chief Constable Steve Rai said the community policing centre is "definitely needed" in the neighbourhood because of its crime rate. He said the Downtown Eastside accounts for about 30 per cent of all violent crime in Vancouver, but is only about two per cent of the city's geographic area. Rai said his experience working at the Davie Street community policing centre was the most rewarding assignment in his career. "It was because we were able to talk to people at the ground level to help fix those little problems before they become problems … where you're calling 911." The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre will be run by an independent non-profit society staffed and governed by community members working in partnership with the VPD. Sandra Singh, deputy city manager, said the city spends about a "couple hundred thousand dollars" a year on community policing centres, and estimated the GHX CPC would cost a little bit more due to its larger size. She noted the goal will be to have the centre open seven days a week and expand the centre and its hours as it grows. The province gave a one-time $1-million contribution toward the development of the centre. Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said the new centre is one way to move toward a more community-focused approach to safety. He noted it will be more than a hub for policing. "It provides a drop-in centre, a stop-over space for our safety patrols, Gastown safety patrols, the EMS bike patrols, things like that." "It's really a place to better co-ordinate these safety approaches in the neighbourhood."
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
New community policing centre opens in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A new Vancouver community policing centre is opening in Gastown and Hastings Crossing in partnership with the city and the police department. The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre (GHX CPC) will offer various crime prevention and outreach programs, including safety education, crime reporting, and initiatives such as community clean-ups, graffiti paint-overs, and neighbourhood safety walks. "Community policing centres aren't traditional police stations," Mayor Ken Sim said at a news conference on Wednesday. "They're not just about enforcement, they're about people. They're about building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating safer communities from the ground up." Sim said the opening of the new community policing centre at 109 West Hastings St. is a direct response to businesses wanting to feel safer in their community. He said the centre will be a community safety hub where people can ask questions, report concerns and learn about resources. The centre will host front-line police officers for engagement but will be primarily staffed by trained volunteers and civilian staff, according to its website. Vancouver Police Chief Constable Steve Rai said the community policing centre is "definitely needed" in the neighbourhood because of its crime rate. He said the Downtown Eastside accounts for about 30 per cent of all violent crime in Vancouver, but is only about two per cent of the city's geographic area. Rai said his experience working at the Davie Street community policing centre was the most rewarding assignment in his career. "It was because we were able to talk to people at the ground level to help fix those little problems before they become problems … where you're calling 911." The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre will be run by an independent non-profit society staffed and governed by community members working in partnership with the VPD. Sandra Singh, deputy city manager, said the city spends about a "couple hundred thousand dollars" a year on community policing centres, and estimated the GHX CPC would cost a little bit more due to its larger size. She noted the goal will be to have the centre open seven days a week and expand the centre and its hours as it grows. The province gave a one-time $1-million contribution toward the development of the centre. Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said the new centre is one way to move toward a more community-focused approach to safety. He noted it will be more than a hub for policing. "It provides a drop-in centre, a stop-over space for our safety patrols, Gastown safety patrols, the EMS bike patrols, things like that."
News24
18-06-2025
- News24
Khayelitsha spaza shops reopen after extortionists agree not to increase fees
Foreign-owned spaza shops in Site C, Khayelitsha, reopened after extortionists agreed not to charged them increased protection fees. Shop owners say increased police visibility forced the extortionists to back off. The shop owners did not attend a Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum imbizo over the weekend. Increased police visibility in Khayelitsha has prompted extortionists to agree not to charge foreign-owned spaza shops increased protection fees, according to some shop owners. As a result, the spaza shops have reopened in Site C after a two-day shutdown. Police visibility was increased after the murder of three Somali nationals in Taiwan informal settlement last week. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the shop owners told News24 that they were forced to close their businesses after multiple extortion groups demanded increased protection fees. However, they said police visibility was increased in the area after the three murders, prompting the extortionists to agree not to increase their fees if the businesses reopened. 'The police were looking for them,' one shop owner told News24. 'So, the protection fee guys told us they'll decide who collects where and when. We cannot pay more than one group.' However, to add insult to injury, the shop owners pointed out that despite paying the fees, their safety wasn't guaranteed. 'Before, they used to help with unruly customers, robberies, even during community protests. Now, when there are robberies, they're nowhere to be found. If they really protected us, there wouldn't be so many gangs extorting us.' In an attempt to address the ongoing extortion crisis, the Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum (CPF) held an imbizo over the weekend. But none of the shop owners attended it, CPF chairperson Phindile George said. 'The community rather spoke about general crime, like robbery and gender-based violence. The shops had already reopened by then,' he said. Community activist Mbulelo Dwane also criticised the shopkeepers for not attending community safety meetings. 'They thought paying these 'boys' would keep them safe. Now the gangs have multiplied and spiralled out of control,' he added. Meanwhile, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie urged shop owners to speak up. 'We cannot act unless these crimes are reported,' he said. News24 previously reported that residents said the resurgence of extortion networks was linked to the death of alleged gangster and taxi boss Yanga 'Bara' Nyalara. After Nyalara was killed in a shootout with police in the Eastern Cape in February, gangsters who previously fled from the Western Cape began to return, sparking a new wave of violence. Some of those who fled reportedly ended up in Gqeberha, where they allegedly joined or formed gangs.
