VPD to increase police presence on Granville Street

The Vancouver Police Department says visitors to the Granville Street Entertainment District pedestrian zone will see more uniformed officers through the summer.

The pedestrian-zone initiative has been extended to Labour Day. Superintendent Phil Heard said the area drew visitors and supported businesses during FIFA, and police want it to remain safe and welcoming.

Within city-funded resources, the VPD will deploy additional officers daily, at night and on weekends. Those officers will be in addition to regular downtown staffing, while more police vehicles and traffic-mitigation measures are also planned.

The department will not release operational deployment details for safety and security reasons. After Labour Day, it says it will provide media with a full cost breakdown and an incident summary for the district.