Crime in most Vancouver parkades has gone down 25 per cent this year compared to last, thanks in large part to a safe parking program that just celebrated its one-year anniversary, police said Tuesday.
The Safer Parking Initiative works in partnership with 25 facilities across the city, some of which reported several months without crime last year.
Vancouver Police Const. Jeff Campbell said the Harbour Centre parking garage on Cordova Street, which has seen a 93 per cent decrease in crime, is the perfect example of the program’s success.
Doug Hume, vice president of Polaris Realty, which owns the lot, said the dark and dated building underwent a $5-million upgrade to make it brighter and cleaner.
“We improved lighting, painted the entire building inside and out,” he said.
The parkade has also been outfitted with 17 surveillance cameras and eight alarm stations, which connect users to the security desk in nearby Harbour Centre.
“Because of these initiatives and our membership in the Safer Parking Initiative program, we’ve reduced crime by 93 per cent,” Hume said. “It does work.”
