Ongoing Community Engagement Is a Priority
Strong, positive relationships
Ongoing community engagement is a priority for the Vancouver Police Board (the Board) and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Strong, positive relationships between those in policing and the diverse communities they serve are essential to understanding the needs of the public, in order to provide effective policing and ensure public safety.
Open and accessible
Board directors are appointed to serve as a link between the community and the police. The Board remains open and accessible to any input or concerns from the public, and ensures transparency and information sharing through its website, social media, reports and statements. Community stakeholder views are incorporated into the Board’s deliberations and decisions and into the development of the Department’s priorities, goals and objectives.
Key programs and initiatives
This section of the website offers information on key programs and initiatives undertaken by the VPD. These programs not only contribute to the well-being of communities throughout the city, but they also build positive relationships with the people of Vancouver. Among other outcomes, the VPD’s community engagement promotes cultural awareness and safety and helps to build trust in the police department. These proactive elements are crucial in addressing and reducing crime in the city.
Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach
The Process
The Vancouver Police Board is committed to meaningful civilian oversight and to ensuring public safety for all communities and residents of Vancouver. Through our Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach Committee, we create space for open dialogue, shared learning, and respectful exchange of perspectives. We believe that strong governance is built on trust, transparency, and active community participation and we would truly value hearing from you.
The Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach Committee meets quarterly and welcomes input from individuals, community groups, and stakeholders who wish to share their experiences, ideas, or concerns. Your voice matters in shaping accountable and responsive policing in our city.
Please email us at (office@vanpoliceboard.ca) to express your interest, and we will be pleased to provide further information about upcoming meetings and opportunities to participate.
We look forward to engaging with you and working together to support a safer Vancouver for everyone.
Vancouver Police Board
Topics for Community Input Sessions Should:
- Relate to Vancouver police services or policies;
- Affect a segment of the community, as opposed to a single individual;
- Relate to a strategy of policing, as opposed to a single action by an officer(s);
- Relate to the Board’s oversight mandate, as opposed to day-to-day police operations;
- Not relate to a conduct complaint within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner; and
- Not be a substantial repeat of information presented by the delegate to the Board within the past six months.
Effective from September 11, 2025, all delegation requests are processed by Board’s Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach Committee to ensure the Board engages with its diverse communities in a respectful, culturally safe and inclusive manner. Any person or persons (a “delegation”), not being a Director or employee of the Board, wishing to speak to the Board’s Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach Committee, shall make a request to the Board Office by email office@vancouverpoliceboard.ca; or mail Vancouver Police Board, 2120 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4N6. The Community Input sessions with the SEOC Committee will be restricted to 10 minutes and the Committee will no enter into debate with the person or persons making the input..
Community members providing the input must NOT:
- Refer to matters under police investigation or police oversight agency investigation;
- Refer to matters under litigation or threatened litigation, including matters that are or may come before court or a tribunal;
- Make allegations against individual Board members, staff or VPD officers; or
- Engage in unreasonable or offensive conduct, make unreasonable or unfounded statements or demands, or otherwise misuse the privilege of addressing the Board.
Individuals providing community inputs will NOT:
- Speak disrespectfully of any person;
- Use offensive or unparliamentary words or language;
- Speak on any subject other than a subject they received approval to address the SEOC committee; or
- Disobey the rules of procedure or a decision of the Chair.
The Chair may curtail any delegation:
The Chair may curtail any delegation, any questions of a delegation or debate during a delegation for disorder or any other breach of this bylaw, and, where the Chair rules that the delegation is concluded, the individuals making the delegation will immediately withdraw.
The VPD uses innovative strategies to better serve people living with mental illness. A collaborative approach with other service providers in the community is essential in building trust and creating positive outcomes with some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
For more than 40 years, the VPD has partnered with Vancouver Coastal Health to help improve the quality of life for mutual clients living with mental illness, substance use and addiction. By providing a coordinated response, harm to clients and the community is reduced, as is a client’s involvement with the criminal justice system, law enforcement and emergency health services.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Mental Health Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach for a proportional police response to persons living with mental illness.
Project LINK is an important collaborative initiative between the Vancouver Police Board, the Vancouver Coastal Health Board, and the Providence Health Care Board. It was initiated in October 2011, and its goal is to achieve improved outcomes for those living with mental illness and addiction. A major component of this is enabling the sharing of information across police and health organizations and in working together to reduce negative police contacts.
