VPD releases its own Stanley Cup riot review

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Two and half months after the Stanley Cup riot, the Vancouver Police has released its report into its handling of the incident.  Vancouver Police Chief Constable Jim Chu says much of the departmental report echoes what was in the independent review released last week.

The force did not envision that live sites in the downtown core would be so large, but the VPD’s meet-and-greet strategy did work even though a riot broke out after Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins on June 15th.

“We were surprised by the size of the crowd but that doesn’t mean we weren’t prepared,” says Chief Constable Jim Chu.

The VPD say it’s time to screen transit users with airport-style checks to try to prevent another riot.  It’s one of several recommendations the VPD has made.

The force says it had enough officers to quell the riot in three hours as the live sites attracted 155,000 into a tightly packed section of the downtown core.

Among the force’s recommendations is screening transit passengers before they reach downtown.  The independent riot review found 500 people were being let into downtown every 90 seconds.

“We would like to see some sort of interdiction strategy where perhaps you have an airport-style screening system,” says Chu. 

“Before you get onto the SkyTrain from, whether it’s Scott Road or the New Westminster station, you’re subject to a search, and if you don’t want to be searched, then [police] would just say, ‘Okay, you’re not allowed to ride this train.’  We’re talking to the province about it.”

Mayor Gregor Robertson says it’s worth considering. 

“It would be a big step to go all the way to airport-style security, but we can’t have what happened on June 15th happen [again],” he says.

“We’ll definitely talk with the TransLink Board and Transit Police about what kind of next steps are possible,” adds Robertson.  “I think the province would have to take a really proactive role on that level.”

Chu says there are some lessons his force can take away from the riot.  They do not want festival seating at large events that concentrate big crowds, particularly the “hooligan demographic.”  And that’s especially the case where booze is free flowing within the crowds.

He suggests ticketing the crowd could help families get into live sites, and it would also help control the size of the masses.

“At the VPD, we all strongly believed that the city had changed and matured since 1994 and that we had shown over and over again that we could celebrate large and celebrate safely,” says Chu.

The VPD also say that when a public event is deemed “regional” and “gross” it wants the City of Vancouver to pay for more policing. It also wants a better plan to stop liquor, which was blamed as the riot’s fuel.

They also say the use of closed-circuit TV cameras by the city and the VPD was very effective. The report also found that officers in the Vancouver region need more training and practice in working together to handle large events.

Fireworks at City Hall

Mayoral Candidate Suzanne Anton finally got her chance to grill the mayor on the riot at a special council meeting today about the city’s internal riot review.

Robertson was on the defensive as Anton accused him of setting up the fan zones against the advice of Vancouver Police.

“You’re making allegations that are not correct, not true, the fan zones were established and implemented by a staff committee,” he responded.

Robertson was heckled by people in the gallery as he first tried to avoid questions. While he did say he’s responsible for the city’s safety, Anton still wasn’t happy.

“It’s taken two-and-a-half months for the mayor to come out and say he was accountable,” she said.

Anton again called on Roberston to accept responsibility for the riot and to tell everyone where he was. She wanted to know why he spent the game inside Rogers Arena when it was clear trouble was brewing early in the day.

“The mayor is the leader of the city,” she said. “The mayor on that night was out of sight. He was out of sight before the event, he was out of sight during the event, he was out of sight after the event and he’s been out of sight ever since.”

To which Robertson countered: “I have been very clear about my location during the game.

“I was at the game in Rogers Arena, and immediately following the game was in the Canucks office downstairs.”

Council was looking at the city’s internal riot report. Its findings were very similar to those in last week’s independent report.

City takes aim at NHL

The City of Vancouver also has some harsh criticism for the National Hockey League over the melee.

It finds that despite four Stanley Cup riots over the last five years the NHL has no apparent strategy to work with franchises or municipalities on the issue.

An independent riot review, written and released by former VANOC CEO John Furlong and former Nova Scotia deputy minister Douglas Keefe last week, also criticized the league. It suggests the NHL should work with teams and communities to promote peaceful hockey celebrations.

The NHL has rejected all the claims, saying it does collaborate with cities and has programs encouraging responsible behaviour from fans.