Vancouver police are keeping tight-lipped about the deployment of a camera-equipped “public safety trailer” to the Sunset neighbourhood.
In a tweet, police said the unit was being stationed near West 48th Avenue and Manitoba Street as officers “conduct a criminal investigation.”
The location is a typically quiet residential neighbourhood, just west of Main Street and a few blocks north of Langara College.
In an email, spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said police could not provide any details about the investigation.
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“We use the trailer and cameras on rare occasions to deter crime and protect the public,” Visintin said, adding that police wanted to proactively notify the community about the deployment.
“In the past, we’ve deployed it in Chinatown, around Oppenheimer Park, in the Downtown core, and in places where gang activity has occurred.”
According to police, the cameras are not used for “active surveillance, but recordings may be reviewed if a crime occurs.”
Social media reaction to the trailer was mixed.
One Twitter user responded to thank police, adding they were in favour of surveillance cameras.
Another called the unit “creepy” while a third responded, “we’ve set up a camera directly outside of your house but don’t worry, we’re just recording, not watching.”
In February 2021, Vancouver police deployed the trailer outside a downtown grocery store after Global News reported on an alarming rise of violent shoplifting incidents at the location.
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