Not enough cops on riot night: Mayor
Posted July 19, 2011 7:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – In hindsight, more police officers were needed the night of the Stanley Cup Riot last month. Mayor Gregor Robertson has finally made that admission, but he’s still defending the Vancouver Police Department’s game plan for Game 7 calling it “well resourced.”
Robertson says he’s had several meetings with VPD Chief Jim Chu about that night but the failure to prevent the riot has forced the two to admit that more cops would have been helpful.
Robertson says Chief Chu has finally revealed to him how many officers were on-duty that night, but the number likely won’t be revealed to the public at this time.
An independent review of the riot, led by John Furlong and Doug Keefe, is due by August 31st.
The Mayor is hoping it will shed some light on what happened and what the motivation may have been that night. He’s also hoping to take any lessons learned to influence policing at future major events in Vancouver.
More claims
Meantime, WorkSafe BC says two dozen people who were working in Downtown Vancouver on the night of the Stanley Cup riot have filed claims for various injuries.
The claims range from cuts and bruises to post-traumatic stress disorder and WorkSafe BC predicts the number of stress-related claims could grow as more cases are diagnosed.
Several employers have reported workers were terrified June 15th as they took cover in back rooms while rioters smashed windows and looted over 50 businesses. About 150 injuries were counted at Vancouver hospitals on riot night.
