New Vancouver police training academy opens at Woodward’s building

Vancouver’s new police training academy officially opened Thursday at the Woodward’s building in the Downtown Eastside. Forty recruits have already begun studying at the facility at 351 Abbott St. and are expected to begin working in the city next June. Another 40 recruits will start their studies there in January.

VPD Chief Steve Rai said the academy represents a new chapter for the department and for training recruits to serve Vancouver’s distinct and changing policing needs. Vancouver police last operated their own training program in 1978.

The 30,000-square-foot academy occupies three floors of the former London Drugs space. It includes a virtual reality room for high-pressure policing scenarios involving crisis intervention and de-escalation, mental health, and strategic communications; two large and two smaller classrooms; a report-writing room; a dedicated police radio channel; a gym with a turf training area; athletic therapy space; and rooms for massage, physiotherapy and first aid.

The City of Vancouver provided $4 million for the work: $2.8 million to establish District 5 and $1.2 million for the academy. Additional costs are fully funded within the approved Vancouver police budget.

Mayor Ken Sim said the academy is a foundational addition to the Woodward’s building and the Downtown Eastside community. He said the increased police presence from District 5 operations is already having a positive public-safety impact and should continue to improve as the academy begins operating. The Vancouver police museum will also move into the Woodward’s building.