The Vancouver Police Department’s new Community Safety personnel are now out on the road today for the first time to help make Vancouver the safest major city in Canada.
The Community Safety program consists of 20 full-time and 23 auxiliary personnel. They are unarmed crime fighters who will be supporting Vancouver’s front line police officers and responding to the concerns of Vancouver residents, businesses and visitors.
This is the first program of its kind in the history of the Vancouver Police Department. After a rigorous selection process, the group of full-time Community Safety personnel have now completed their training. Yesterday, Chief Chu presented them with their certificates and badges.
Community Safety personnel will take on duties to free up police officers with the advanced training and skills to respond more quickly to in-progress and higher priority calls from the public. They will help improve community safety, customer service and quality of life in Vancouver.
These dedicated men and women will assist regular patrol officers and investigators with numerous tasks, including various low priority and low risk jobs, perimeter security at police incidents, and assisting with the transportation and tagging of property. In addition, they will be available to provide logistical support during large-scale deployments, major events, emergencies or disasters.
In keeping with the VPD’s commitment to be “green,” Community Safety personnel will be driving Ford Fusion Hybrids. The cars are painted in a black and white theme, similar to the new police cars unveiled two days ago, but with the distinct Community Safety decaling.
