---
title: "Vancouver police release record-low crime figures nine days before the election"
description: "Four mayoral candidates question the timing of Thursday's VPD news conference, which reported the city's Crime Severity Index fell to its lowest level since Statistics Canada began tracking in 1998."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/vpd-crime-stats-election-timing-october-8"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:01:09.419Z"
---

The Vancouver Police Department reported on Thursday, October 8, that the city's overall Crime Severity Index reached its lowest level since Statistics Canada began tracking the measure in 1998. CTV News reported four mayoral candidates questioned why the department chose to release the figures nine days before election day.

The announcement came from Senior Deputy Chief Const. Howard Chow at a news conference. "Vancouver is safer now than it's ever been," Chow said, according to CTV News.

## What the figures show

The Crime Severity Index weighs crimes by how serious they are, rather than counting every offence equally. According to the VPD, Vancouver's overall index fell 22.3 per cent over the past decade, while the national figure rose 4.2 per cent over the same period.

The VPD also reported a record-low non-violent Crime Severity Index for 2025. The department said overall crime rates, property crime and violent crime all declined from 2002 to 2025.

However, CTV News reported that violent crime in Vancouver was up 6 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. The first quarter of 2026 saw a 12.3 per cent year-over-year increase; the second quarter saw a 1.4 per cent increase. Chow acknowledged some categories had moved in the wrong direction in 2026.

## Candidates on the timing

[Kareem Allam](/candidates/kareem-allam), the Vancouver Liberals candidate for mayor, said public institutions have a responsibility to stay neutral during a campaign. "The role of the bureaucracy is to be impartial, particularly in the midst of an election year," Allam said, as reported by CTV News.

[Colleen Hardwick](/candidates/colleen-hardwick), the TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidate for mayor, said the timing deserved scrutiny and questioned why the figures were being highlighted days before the vote, CTV News reported.

[Rebecca Bligh](/candidates/rebecca-bligh), the Vote Vancouver candidate for mayor, said it was fair for voters to ask why the data was being released ahead of election day. She has argued public safety requires a response across all levels of government, not policing alone, CTV News reported.

[Pete Fry](/candidates/pete-fry), the Green Party candidate for mayor, said Vancouver's numbers should be placed in a broader context. "Crime rates have been trending down across North America," Fry said, as reported by CTV News.

## ABC's response and the VPD's defence

[Ken Sim](/candidates/ken-sim)'s ABC Vancouver party said the figures show the city is moving in the right direction. In a statement, the party said it had funded 100 additional VPD officers and supported initiatives including Project Barrage and District 5, according to CTV News.

Chow said his concern was how crime data had been presented in recent months. "What I'm concerned about is the fact of how our data over the last number of months have been misrepresented," he said, as reported by CTV News. He said the VPD publishes crime statistics monthly.

Voters can find information on voting locations and advance polling at [/where-to-vote](/where-to-vote). Election day is Saturday, October 17, 2026.

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