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‘Back to old-school beat cop foot patrols’ in the DTES: Head of VPD

More boots on the ground as new police training centre, district and community hub set up shop at Woodward's complex

April 2, 2026

A NEW police training academy is coming to the Downtown Eastside (DTES). It will be located at the Woodward’s complex in Gastown. 
 

The DTES location, operated by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), is one of two police training sites approved by the province on March 6, with Victoria being the other, operated by the Victoria Police Department.  
 
The two sites will act as satellites of the Justice Institute of B.C. (JIBC) in New Westminster, which trains all municipal police recruits in the province. The JIBC will be expanding its training capacity to meet demand for more police officers. 

 
The details were announced by Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger March 6, a week after members of VPD and Vancouver city council — including VPD Chief Const. Steve Rai and Mayor Ken Sim — held a press conference outside the former London Drugs location at Abbott Street and West Hastings. On Feb. 26 they announced they would create a Police Training Academy – Centre of Excellence at the location. At that time, provincial approval had not yet been granted. 

 
According to a VPD press release, the location of the training academy, at 351 Abbott St., was specifically chosen to bring greater police presence to the surrounding area.  
“We chose the Woodward’s site to reinforce our commitment to the Downtown Eastside community.  
 
The VPD is part of this community and we want our training to reflect that commitment,” said Rai.  
 
Added Mayor Ken Sim: “Residents and businesses across Vancouver have been clear: they want stability, predictability, and to feel safe.” 

 
In addition to the academy, VPD has brought on 88 additional officers as part of its new District 5 policing district. And last summer, a new Gastown- Hastings Crossing Policing Centre opened at 109 W. Hastings St.  

 
At the DTES press conference, Rai was asked if — as a result of the increased police presence and the end of B.C.’s drug decriminalization initiative in January — he thought there would be less public drug use on the streets. 

“We will be going back to old-school beat cop foot patrols and when drug users see us coming, they leave,” he said.  
 
However, critics and harm reduction advocates say driving people who use drugs away from public spaces — many of whom are inadequately housed — will only increase overdose deaths given the current unregulated, toxic drug supply.  
 
And a business group says what the neighbourhood needs in the wake of losing London Drugs is affordable retail stores, not more police presence.  
 
Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, told The Tyee that the loss of an anchor retailer like London Drugs impacts the community, and questioned whether a police training centre is the best use for the site.  
 
“It affects foot traffic, access to basic goods, it impacts overall street activity, and it has those ripple effects for small businesses and residents,” he said. 

Julie Chapman, a longtime resident in the Woodward’s building residential towers, agrees, saying having easily accessible retail options is crucial for the DTES — especially for those with low incomes.  
 
She points out that In addition to London Drugs closing, the nearby JJ Bean coffee shop shut down two years ago, Chinatown’s last post office shuttered its doors last November, and the iconic Sunrise Market on Powell Street is now for sale.  
 
“This hollowing out of the Downtown Eastside is causing negative ripple effects in my neighbourhood,” Chapman says. “It has changed the vibe on the streets. It doesn’t feel like people are as closeknit as they used to be. The sense of shared connection seems to be dying.”  
 
The Vancouver and Victoria police departments will begin operating their training sites this year. The sites have been approved for a two-year basis to address the immediate surge in demand for new officers throughout B.C.