Canada 2020 Crime & Safety Report: Vancouver
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Canada 2020 Crime & Safety Report: Vancouver This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver, British Colombia. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Western Canada. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s Canada country page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Canada at Level 1, indicating travelers should exercise normal precautions. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation Crime Threats The U.S. Department of State has assessed Vancouver as being a LOW-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. While 2019 reports saw upward trends in some indices, overall criminal activity in Vancouver remains lower than cities of comparable size (approximately 675,000 residents) in the U.S. Property crimes remain by far the biggest threat to residents and visitors alike. Organized crime, including gang-related crime, is an ongoing issue in the lower mainland of British Columbia (BC). Asian gangs have long had a dominant presence in BC, and there are indications that Mexican cartels are gaining a foothold in the region. Asian organized crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs operate throughout BC, trafficking goods to the U.S., Australia, and Japan. The rate of violent crime remains low in Vancouver, although there was an overall increase of 9% in 2019. Trends on the rise included robberies at 7%, assaults at 17%, and criminal shots-fired at 50%. The region saw a 29% decline in murders and, due to a robust city awareness program, sexual assaults decreased 10%. Most crimes occurring in Vancouver are non-violent in nature. In 2019, theft from autos declined by 2% to 15,052, while breaking and entering increased by 5% to 3,988. Shoplifting and tourist-related crimes remained the most prevalent. Due to open drug use, the downtown east-side corridor typically sees more break-ins involving both vehicle and residential theft; total property crimes increased 9%. Street crime targeting individuals for robberies is rare. Over the course of 2019, the Regional Security Office received a handful of reports of non-violent incidents affecting official U.S. personnel. These isolated events have not caused any change in current security policies for the U.S. official community. Pickpocketing and theft from parked cars in popular tourist destinations, such as Stanley Park and the area around the cruise ship terminal, are of particular concern. Treat the east-side corridor of downtown Vancouver with caution; shopping and entertainment areas near East Hastings Street and Main Street provide an environment ripe for petty theft from persons, bags, and vehicles. Review OSAC’s report, All That You Should Leave Behind. 1 Crime across all of Canada, as measured by both the crime rate and the Crime Severity Index (CSI), increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2018. (Nationwide 2019 statistics are not yet available.) The CSI measures the volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada and has a base index value of 100 for the year 2006. The change in the CSI in 2018 was the result of higher police-reported rates of numerous offenses. Ordered by their relative impact on the CSI, these offenses include fraud (+13%); sexual assault without a weapon or evidence of bodily harm (+15%); shoplifting of $5,000 or under (+14%); and theft over $5,000 (+15%). Decreases in other offenses (e.g. breaking and entering down 1%, and robbery down 3%) partially offset these increases. Police reported more than two million Criminal Code incidents (excluding traffic offences) in 2018, almost 70,000 more than in 2017. At 5,488 incidents per 100,000 population, the rate of crime reported to police increased 2% in 2018, but was 17% lower than in 2008. It is important to note that the police-reported crime rate and the CSI include only those incidents that come to the attention of police, either through reporting by the public or through pro-active policing. Results from the most recent General Social Survey on Victimization found that victims reported just under one-third (31%) of violent and non-violent incidents. The CSI increased in two-thirds of Canada's largest cities (census metropolitan areas [CMAs]) in 2018, with the largest increases in Windsor, Ontario (+21%); Moncton, New Brunswick (+15%); and St. Catharines– Niagara, Ontario (+15%). Breaking and entering was an important contributor to the increases in Windsor and St. Catharines–Niagara, while fraud was an important contributor to the increases in Moncton and Windsor. After increasing in 2017, Canada's homicide rate declined 4% in 2018, from 1.82 to 1.76 homicides per 100,000 population. Police reported 651 homicides in Canada in 2018, 15 fewer than the previous year. Despite the decline, the homicide rate was higher than the Canadian average over the previous decade. Visitors to large cities and popular tourist destinations should be aware that criminals regularly target parked cars for opportunistic smash-and-grab thefts. Avoid leaving any unattended possessions in a vehicle, even in the trunk. Due to the high incidence of such crimes, motorists in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and other jurisdictions can receive fines for leaving their car doors unlocked or for leaving valuables in view. Exercise precaution to safeguard property. Review OSAC’s reports, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud and Taking Credit. Review OSAC’s reports, Hotels: The Inns and Outs and Considerations for Hotel Security. Cybersecurity Issues Cybersecurity and internet-related crime issues are like those identified in the U.S. Travelers to Canada should continue to practice smart internet use and guard all financial transactions. Canada’s National Cyber Security Strategy, released in 2018, recognizes that robust cyber security is an essential element of Canadian innovation and prosperity. The Strategy is adaptable and to account for a continuously changing cyber landscape, introduces a new strategic direction, and defines goals to achieve its vision of security and prosperity in the digital age. 2 Canada distributes cyber security operational capabilities across different departments and agencies. Though measures are in place to ensure good communication and coordination, ambiguity concerning roles and responsibilities and the inherent difficulty in coordinating multiple decision makers is a problematic. The new Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre) within the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) will address this gap as a single, unified team of government cyber security technical experts that will be the definitive source of unique technical advice, guidance, services, messaging and support on cyber security operational matters for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector, and the Canadian public. The Centre will also provide cyber security expertise to support lead agencies in the delivery of their core functions, including collaborating with the RCMP’s NC3 and its law enforcement efforts to address cybercrime. The RCMP will establish the National Cybercrime Coordination Unit (NC3 Unit) to coordinate Canadian police operations against cybercriminals and to establish a national mechanism for Canadians and businesses to report cybercrimes to police. Additionally, the RCMP will also enhance its operational capacity (e.g. investigations, intelligence, specialized technical investigative services, international presence, and specialized cyber expertise) to take federal enforcement action against priority domestic and international cybercrime activity. Review OSAC’s reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? Transportation-Safety Situation Road Safety and Road Conditions British Columbia’s highway and road infrastructure is on par with that in the U.S. However, pedestrians and bicyclists should use extreme caution in downtown areas, as several fatalities have involved either aggressive drivers or unobservant pedestrians. In winter, treacherous conditions are not unusual and driving can be challenging. British Columbia requires snow tires in the winter. Winter conditions and wildfires may prompt the sudden closure of highways. Provincial ministries of transport typically post closures and other alerts about road conditions on their websites. Traffic congestion plays a key role in road safety. Vancouver’s diverse population is home to persons from around the world, and many motorists may not be accustomed to driving in these conditions. All provinces except Ontario require drivers to keep their vehicle’s headlights on during the day. All ten provinces have some form of cell phone/distracted driving legislation in place. Motorcycles cannot share a lane, and safety helmets for motorcycle riders and passengers are mandatory. Running a red light is a serious concern throughout Canada. Pause before proceeding when a light turns green. It is illegal to take automobile radar detectors into Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, the Yukon, or the Northwest Territories,