Rising crime rate shows crackdown is working, says Vancouver's mayor

Crimes of public disorder in Vancouver are up by 84 per cent overall according to the latest statistics, despite the fact that it's been more than a year since Mayor Sam Sullivan launched his Project Civil City initiative.

Project Civil City was intended to reduce street crime and public disorder such as panhandling, drug dealing and homelessness by cracking down with increased enforcement and street-level police presence.

According to the latest annual Vancouver Police Board statistics, released on Thursday, those crime rates are up significantly. The most dramatic increase was in drug offences, which increased by 102 per cent.

But Sullivan said that increase was expected, since Project Civil City is the reason people are more likely to report civil disobedience crimes, resulting in more arrests.

"When you really focus on a certain area, you start to get a lot of records of it," Sullivan told CBC News on Thursday.

But the explanation drew criticism from Sullivan's opponents on city council.

"That's the silliest thing I've heard," said Vision Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson, who blamed an understaffed police force for rising crime rates.

Until the police presence is increased, "I think we're going to keep getting these kind of statistics," he said.

Sullivan and other members of his NPA party on council recently passed a motion to spend $900,000 on a contract with private security firm Genesis Security to expand its Downtown Ambassadors program as part of Project Civil City.

The controversial program is staffed by red-jacketed security personnel who patrol the downtown reporting crimes to police, looking for stolen cars and helping people with directions.

It has been criticized by the police union and opposition councillors for diverting funding away from the police and into the hands of a private firm.