Vancouver Police step up patrols in the Downtown Eastside amid recent gun violence – BC | 24CA News

Vancouver Police say they’re quickly growing the variety of officers within the Downtown Eastside after almost per week of gun violence that’s left individuals shaken up.

Thursday morning, a 24-year-old man was shot whereas using his bike close to East Hastings and Carrall Streets.

The man was in a position to make it again house to an SRO lodge earlier than calling 9-1-1, in response to Sgt. Steve Addison.

“Nobody should put up with this level of violence and lack of safety in their neighborhoods. And what we’ve seen in the last number of days certainly increases our concern for people’s safety in that neighborhood, which does include a significant number of marginalized and vulnerable people,” Addison stated whereas chatting with reporters Thursday.

VPD officers say they recovered 14 actual and duplicate firearms within the neighbourhood over the past 4 days, a few of which led to arrests.

“We received a 9-1-1 call from a woman who had been pepper sprayed in front of the Carnegie Community Center on Sunday morning, we were able to track a suspect to a couple of tents in the areas of Patricia Hotel. We recovered a shotgun and two men were arrested in that case,” Addison stated.

Also on Sunday, a person was arrested after a daylight taking pictures which left a 31-year-old man with a number of gunshot wounds.

“We also have our investigators, organized crime investigators working behind the scenes to better understand what has led to so many guns in the neighbourhood during the last number of days. We’re not sure at this point whether or not this ia a blip on the radar or if there’s something bigger that’s happening. We need to look into that a little bit more to get a better grasp on that,” Addison defined.

This fast response pressure will present further patrols to the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown and Gastown.

Retired Police Detective Doug Spencer says this uptick in crime is predicted in an overcrowded tent metropolis.

“Its a complete circus, these people are heavily addicted to drugs, they’re suffering from mental health, its nothing for them to pick up a firearm and protect themselves from one another not to mention the gang members fighting over the drug turf down there,” Spencer informed Global News.

Homeless advocates like Anna Cooper with Pivot Legal Society renewed requires much less police presence and extra enough housing.

“The right to adequate housing is not an SRO without basic services. It’s not a shelter bed, and it’s not a supportive housing building where your basic tenancy rights are violated as part of your housing model,” Cooper informed reporters on Thursday.

Stuck within the center are native companies who say they’re involved about this uptick in violent crime within the neighbourhood.

“It’s been extremely nerve-racking and scary, and our staff don’t exactly feel safe leaving or coming to work anymore,” stated Bradley Spence, CEO of eevee’s electrical automobiles.

“It seems to be getting worse and doesn’t seem to be getting any better anytime soon. It’s just been getting progressively worse. That’s why I said the other day I’m not sure even sure if we’ll renew our lease at this point.”

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