When the Vancouver Police Union launched its Vote Public safety campaign last week, the website prominently featured the claim that violent crime is “now at its lowest point since tracking began in 2002.” Since then, following questions from CTV News, the website has been updated. On Wednesday, the website said year-end data for 2025 showed the “lowest annual crime rates since 2002,” citing the Vancouver Police Department’s annual Crime Rate by Incident tables. “Annual figures provide a consistent basis for year-over-year comparisons, while YTD data help identify emerging trends,” the website said. Quarterly reports that went before the Vancouver Police Board last week show violent crime in the city was up six per cent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. The Public Safety Indicators reports for Q1 and Q2 represent the first comprehensive crime data provided to the board and the public all year—delivered one month before the city’s election. The union is not endorsing a candidate or party in October’s municipal election, but a 23-year low in violent crime was also featured on the website for Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC party last week. CTV News asked if the ABC website would be updated, particularly in light of the 2026 data. “In 2025, Vancouver achieved its lowest violent crime rate in 23 years as a direct result of ABC’s decision to fully invest in our city’s police, fire, and mental health services,” a party spokesperson wrote. “Crime, especially violent crime, is down in Vancouver because of ABC’s investments in policing, but street disorder remains. This disorder is related to provincial drug and housing policies, which are increasingly leaving our most vulnerable people in distress on our streets.” When it comes to encouraging crime statistics for 2025, Vancouver was not unique. According to Statistics Canada’s most recent Crime Severity Index, police-reported crime dropped five per cent per cent last year, nation-wide, when compared with 2024. This week, ABC’s website was updated with the party’s platform—and referenced its plan to address “public safety and street disorder” with “real tools for police, more treatment beds, and drugs out of our parks and school zones.” A 23-year-low in violent crime was first cited in a quarterly report that came to the police board last year which said data for the first three months of 2025 showed “the lowest number of violent crimes on record in Vancouver, going back to the implementation of PRIME in 2002.” Last week, the Vancouver Police Union’s website was changed to cite that report. A spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Union explained the change was made while verifying the year-end stats also represented a 23-year low.
